Kavaguti/Smirnov then competed at the 2013 Russian Championships in Sochi, Russia. They skated first in the short program and earned a level three on their triple twist, a level two on their death spiral and all other elements received a level four. They received a score of 70.19 and were in second place going into the free skate. They had a nearly flawless free skate with Kavaguti's hand touching the ice on a throw jump being the only mistake. They scored 137.18 and behind champions Tatiana Volosozhar / Maxim Trankov with a total score of 207.37.