BranislavIvanovic followed in the footsteps of his father by becoming a professional footballer in Serbia. He started his career at FK Srem before joining OFK Beograd in December 2003.

OFK Beograd was in the Serbian top flight by the time BranislavIvanovic joined them and he was a part of the team that punched above their weight for several seasons. Ivanovic and OFK Beograd performed beyond expectations and they even reached the last four of the 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup against all odds. They were not one of the teams expected to make the final stages of the competition.

A lot of teams were attracted to the footballing ability of Ivanovicwhile he was in the Serbian top flight and the defender didn't spend much time before leaving the country. He spent just two years in the top division in Serbia before being snapped up by Lokomotiv Moscow in January 2006.

His move to Lokomotiv Moscow in the Russian Premier League was partly down to the presence of compatriot Slavoljub Muslin in the dugout. Under Muslin, BranislavIvanovic impressed at the start of his Lokomotiv Moscow career at the age of 22. He cemented his place in the Lokomotiv Moscow starting line-up as a result.Ivanovic scored twice in 28 games in the Russian league in his debut season as a Lokomotiv Moscow player but it was not enough to win the league as his team eventually fell out of the race for the title.

He spent just two seasons at Lokomotiv Moscow, netting five times in 54 games. He was a key member of the squad in his second and final season at the club as Lokomotiv Moscow fell short in the title race again though they compensated with the Russian Cup. They saw off FC Moscow in the Moscow Derby to win the Russian Cup title.