Most commonly, Lokomotiv is used as a shortened reference to the Lokomotiv Voluntary Sports Society (VSS) that nowadays is an association of the Labour Union Voluntary Sport Societies of Railway Workers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (former USSR republics). In the Soviet Union, Lokomotiv was the sports society of the railway industry workers. It was supported by the national railroad company of the USSR, hence the name. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, VSS Lokomotiv consisted of many clubs in a variety of sports which were all named "Lokomotiv" with an addition of the town/city name from which the club was from (f.e. Lokomotiv Moscow). In the Eastern Bloc countries many teams associated with the railway industry (but not part of VSS Lokomotiv) were also named or renamed "Lokomotiv".