The 30-year-old failed to secure a regular place in Chelsea's starting 11 during his time in Britain, and instead played most of his football as a loan player first at Portsmouth and most recently for Charlton Athletic, where his tidiness and tenacity in midfield helped the Addicks to an unbeaten run early this season.
He made only 25 appearances for Chelsea.
"I wouldn't say [the offer from Dynamo] came totally out of the blue, but it was a bit unexpected," Smertin said in an interview with Sport-Express published Monday.
"I discussed it with my wife. We always intended to return to Russia sooner or later. The opportunity came, and we decided to take advantage of it."
The midfielder singled out the team's new coach, former national team boss Yury Syomin, and the ambition of Dynamo as his reasons for moving to the club, which finished eighth in the league last season.
"I like the ambitions of those in charge at Dynamo. Besides, I want to work with Syomin. Indeed, it's important for every player to find his coach."
And Smertin was quick to affirm that a return to Moscow, where he started his professional career at Lokomotiv, didn't mean the end of his career was looming.
"I hope to still be playing football for a long time."
Smertin said he realized his time at Chelsea was over at the start of the current English season.
"The move to Charlton was my own initiative. Yes, I got a championship medal at Chelsea last season, having played over [the minimum] 15 matches in the first team. But at Chelsea, it wasn't possible to achieve the goal I set myself. I want to be a part of every victory, and sitting on the bench, even at Chelsea, it's just not me."
Smertin joins national team keeper Sergei Ovchinnikov and midfielders Dmitry Kholkov and Igor Semshov, as well as Syomin, as big-name acquisitions made by the club during the midseason break.
The Russian Premier League's 2006 season kicks off this weekend.
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