Eliseev made his move with 1.6km of the course remaining, overtaking the Latvian before crossing the line in 23min 46.4sec.

Rastorgujevs took silver, 4.1 seconds behind the victorious Russian, and Aleksander Fjeld Andersen of Norway earned bronze.

The triumph for the Russian ended his run of near-misses at the Championships after he finished second, fourth and fifth at last year's event in the Belarusian capital.

"Raubichi is close to Moscow so it feels a lot like home," said Eliseev.

"It is always good to come to the European Championship and win a medal."

Experienced Swedish competitor Elisabeth Högberg, a gold medallist on the World Cup circuit, clinched the women's pursuit title in 22:39.6.

The 33-year-old finished the 7.5km race 14.4 clear of Norway's Ida Lien in second, while Iryna Kryuko added another medal to the hosts' tally by claiming bronze.

The both races used the 2.5km loop owing to a lack of snow at the venue, which replaced Otepää as host of the event because of poor conditions in the Estonian resort.

The Championships are set to continue tomorrow.