The 21-year-old has been on trial with the Ossetian side and terms were agreed between the clubs for an undisclosed fee, with the transfer effective immediately.
Barbarouses is delighted to have achieved his long-term goal of playing in Europe and is targeting promotion with Alania.
“To become a big player you need to go to Europe,” he says.
“I have a chance to prove my worth as a footballer at a higher level and help the team in its objectives. The club is like one big family, they have greeted me warmly and cheerfully.”
Roar coach Ange Postecoglou isn’t as happy to be losing such a promising player but did not want to stand in the way of the diminutive attacker’s career.
“We’re definitely disappointed to see Kosta leave the club, he was an important part of our team,” Postecoglou says.
“I would have liked for him to stay another season to further his development but I’m sure Kosta will be a great asset to his new club and we wish him the best of luck.”
Postecoglou is confident of finding a suitable replacement before the new A-League season kicks off in October.
“I’ve obviously known about this possibility for a little while now, so we’ve already got some things in place to find a replacement.”
Barbarouses had attracted plenty of interest from other clubs after a breakthrough season in which he helped Brisbane to its first A-League title. He has trialled for Italian giants Torino and English Championship club Brighton and Hove Albion in recent months but decided to link up with Alania as they expressed a strong desire to sign him and tabled an attractive offer.
The club is on track for promotion to the Russian Premier League as one of the first division leaders and will also be involved in the 2011-12 Europa League after coming runners-up in the Russian Cup earlier this year.
Barbarouses stands at just 1.71m but, as is the case with fellow pint-sized All White Marco Rojas, has bags of skill and is one of the most exciting talents to come out of New Zealand for some time.
He began his professional career under Ricki Herbert at the Wellington Phoenix but made only 21 appearances over three seasons before joining Brisbane Roar.
The Wellington native was an instant hit in Queensland and was named in the 2010-11 A-League All Star team after scoring 12 goals in 33 appearances.
He has played for his country at U-17, U-20, U-23 and senior level but missed out on a place in the All Whites squad for its historic 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign.