Currently We Do Not Buy Russian Rubles

RUB – Russian Rouble

Monetary System

1 Russian ruble (RUR) = 100 kopeks
1998: 1 Russian ruble (RUB) = 1,000 Russian ruble (RUR)
1 Finnish markka (FIM) = 100 penniä

2017 – 2025 Issues

The Bank of Russia introduced new 200- and 2,000-ruble notes on 12 October 2017. These entirely new denominations are intended to enhance the convenience of cash payments. The preceding Russian banknotes depict the characters of Russian cities and regions, and this tradition continues with the new notes, but for the first time the Russian public voted on the new designs in the summer of 2016. The 200-ruble note is printed on a special durable soil-resistant paper substrate with polymer coating. The bank also issued a test batch of varnished 100-ruble notes in 2016.

On 23 March 2021, the Bank of Russia announced its intention to “upgrade” its banknotes with improved security features and new designs from 2022 to 2025. On 30 June 2022, the Bank of Russia unveiled its new 100-ruble note to be issued later in the year.

Description: 100 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 150 x 65 mm

Orange, olive green, and purple. Front: Russian text; bank seal; main building of Moscow State University; Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin with chimes; Zaryadye concert hall and floating bridge; Ostankino Tower; QR-code. Back: Russian text; Rzhev Memorial to the Soviet Soldier in Rzhevsky District of Tver Oblast; birds in flight; aerial view of countryside; map of Russia. 2-mm wide windowed security thread with demetalized 100 and P. Watermark: Spasskaya Tower and electrotype 100. Printer: (Goznak). 150 x 65 mm. Paper.
This note depicts the Central Federal District. The clock tower depicts the time as 8:20, which corresponds to the year of issue (2022) in 24-hour format.

The Bank of Russia introduced new 200- and 2,000-ruble notes on 12 October 2017. These entirely new denominations are intended to enhance the convenience of cash payments. The preceding Russian banknotes depict the characters of Russian cities and regions, and this tradition continues with the new notes, but for the first time the Russian public voted on the new designs in the summer of 2016. The 200-ruble note is printed on a special durable soil-resistant paper substrate with polymer coating. The bank also issued a test batch of varnished 100-ruble notes in 2016.

Description: 200 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 150 x 65 mm

Green. Front: Russian text; colonnade of Count’s Quay in Sevastopol; bank seal; seagulls flying over breaking waves and sculptor Amandus Adamson’s “Monument to the Scuttled Ships” in Sevastopol Bay: Count’s Quay in Sevastopol; QR-code. Back: Russian text; arch, columns, bell, and door archeological ruins on Chersonese in Sevastopol; bird and branch tile mosaic; map of Crimea; grapes and leaves. 3-mm wide windowed security thread with demetalized 200. Watermark: Monument to the Scuttled Ships and electrotype 200. Printer: (Goznak). 150 x 65 mm. Paper.
On 13 October 2017, the National Bank of Ukraine announced that effective 17 October, all Ukrainian financial institutions are forbidden from performing any cash transactions with “notes and coins issued by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation in case they contain images of maps, symbols, buildings, monuments, archeological or historical artefacts, and landscapes of any other objects located on Ukrainian administrative territorial units occupied by the Russian Federation and/or bear texts related to occupation of Ukraine’s territories by the Russian Federation.”

Description: 1,000 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 157 x 69 mm

Turquoise, brown, green, and purple. Front: Russian text; bank seal; Nikolskaya (Saint Nicholas Tower) and bridge of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin; Nizhny Novgorod Main Fair building; map of Oka and Volga rivers; stylized tower and circle in golden-crimson to golden-green OVI; Nizhny Novgorod Stadium; QR-code. Back: Russian text; Museum of the History of Statehood of the Tatar People and the Republic of Tatarstan; Syuyumbike Tower of the Kazan Kremlin; Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography in Ufa; ferry boat on unknown body of water; Soyuz-2 rocket on launch pad; Volga Federal District map; flying birds. 5.5-mm wide winged windowed holographic security thread with demetalized 1000 CBRF. Watermark: Nikolskaya with bridge and electrotype 1000. Printer: (Goznak). 157 x 69 mm. Paper.

This note depicts the Volga Federal District. The Bank of Russia halted distribution of this note on 18 October 2023 after the Russian Orthodox Church complained that the dome atop the Museum of the History of Statehood of the Tatar People and the Republic of Tatarstan (a former Orthodox cathedral) isn’t topped with a cross, even though there is a crescent atop the Syuyumbike Tower.

Description: 2,000 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 157 x 69 mm

Blue. Front: Russian text; unknown building; bank seal; cable-stayed Russky Bridge over Eastern Bosphorus Strait in Vladivostok; bridge in gold SPARK; Far Eastern Federal University building in Vladivostok; QR-code. Back: Russian text; rocket on launchpad at Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Oblast; map of eastern Russia. 5-mm wide holographic windowed security thread with demetalized 2000. Watermark: Bridge and electrotype 2000. Printer: (Goznak). 157 x 69 mm. Paper.

Description: 5,000 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 157 x 69 mm

Red, orange, brown, blue, and purple. Front: Russian text; bank seal; skyline of Ekaterinburg; Europe-Asia stele in Ekaterinburg; stylized skyline and circle in golden-crimson to golden-green OVI; unknown building; OR-code. Back: Russian text; steel foundry; Tale of the Urals statue in Chelyabinsk; pine trees; Urals Federal District map; oil pump jacks and tower. 5.5-mm wide winged windowed holographic security thread with demetalized 5000 CBRF. Watermark: Buildings and electrotype 5000. Printer: (Goznak). 157 x 69 mm. Paper. This note depicts the Urals Federal District.

2018 Commemorative Issues

This 100-ruble note commemorates the World Cup held in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, and run by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (French: International Federation of Association Football, FIFA).

Description: 100 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 150 x 65 mm

Blue, green, yellow, and red. Front (vertical): Russian text; coat of arms; standing boy holding soccer ball under arm; goalkeeper (Lev Yashin) diving for soccer ball; Quick Recognition Code. Back (vertical): Russian text; stylized Russian flag with silhouettes of athletic fans; stylized globe on soccer ball with Russian Federation map; names of Russian cities hosting playoff games. No security thread. Watermark (shadow image): None. Printer: (Goznak). 150 x 65 mm. Polymer.

2015 Commemorative Issues

On 23 December 2015, the Bank of Russia began issuing 20 million 100-ruble notes commemorating the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014. The new notes feature symbols of the city of Sevastopol on front and Crimea on back.

Description: 100 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 150 x 65 mm

Yellow, green, brown, and blue. Front (vertical): Russian text; painter Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky’s “The Russian Squadron on the Sebastopol Roads;” sculptor Amandus Adamson’s “Monument to the Scuttled Ships” in Sevastopol Bay; layout of Sevastopol city; architect I. Fialko and sculptor V. Yakovlev’s “Memorial to the Heroic Defense of Sevastopol in 1941-1942” on Nakhimov square; St. Vladimir’s Cathedral. Back (vertical): Russian text; grape vine; “Sail” cliff and Au-Dag mountain; Swallow’s Nest castle on Aurora Cliff overlooking Cape of Ai-Todor in Yalta, Crimea; Khan’s mosque in Khan’s Palace in Bakhchysarai; radio telescope RT-70 near the town of Yevpatoria; Quick Recognition Code. Holographic windowed security thread with demetalized 100 and microperf ruble symbol (₽). Watermark: Catherine the Great and electrotype jewelry. Printer: (Goznak). 150 x 65 mm. Paper.
This is the second note in the world to incorporate a Quick Recognition Code into its design. When scanned with an Internet-enabled mobile device, the code links to a web site which tells the historical background of the note.

2014 Commemorative Issues

On 30 October 2013, the Bank of Russia began issuing 20 million 100-ruble notes commemorating the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi. The new notes are legal tender and will circulate in parallel with existing notes of the same denomination. A private Chinese firm has created a numismatic product by packaging this note in a large folder, but this is not an official issue.

Description: 100 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 150 x 65 mm

Blue, purple, green, and orange. Front (vertical): Russian text; holographic flame; snowboarder; mountains; Olympic venues in Sochi. Back (vertical): Russian text; bird in gold SPARK; Fischt Stadium in Sochi; underprint of athletes including skiers, ski jumper, skaters, hockey player, curler, and bobsled team. Vitrail security thread. Watermark: sochi.ru 2014 and Olympic rings. Printer: (Goznak). 150 x 65 mm. Paper.
The different lettercase prefixes are not replacement notes as sometimes reported, but rather indicate Goznak’s printing plant in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, or Perm.

2010 Issues

These notes are like the preceding issues, but with enhanced security features. In addition, the back of the 500-ruble note was redesigned in response to protests that the preceding issues depicted the Solovetsky Monastery without crosses atop the buildings, dating it to between 1926 and 1938 when the site was used as a special prison and a gulag.

Description: 500 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 150 x 65 mm

Violet and blue. Front: Russian text; bank seal; Mark Antokolski’s statue of Peter the Great in Taganrog; sailing ship in the port of Arkhangelsk. Back: Russian text; Solovetsky Monastery on the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea. Winged windowed security thread with demetalized 500. Watermark: Peter the Great and electrotype 500. Printer: (Goznak). 150 x 65 mm. Paper.

Description: 1,000 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 157 x 69 mm

Blue and green. Front: Russian text; bank seal; statue of Prince Yaroslav the Wise; Our Lady of Kazan Chapel with Yaroslavl Kremlin wall in background; Yaroslavl coat of arms with standing bear carrying halberd in green SPARK. Back: Russian text; Saint John the Baptist Church and Bell Tower in Yaroslavl. Winged windowed security thread with demetalized 1000. Watermark: Prince Yaroslav the Wise and electrotype 1000 (right). Printer: (Goznak). 157 x 69 mm. Paper.

Description: 5,000 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 157 x 69 mm

Red and brown. Front: Russian text; bank seal; statue of statesman Nikolay Nikolayevich Muravyov-Amursky; promontory tower in Khabarovsk with commercial ship offshore; Khabarovsk coat of arms in green SPARK. Back: Russian text; automobile bridge across Amur River (the border between Russia and China negotiated by Muravyov). Holographic winged windowed security thread with demetalized 5000. Watermark: Nikolay Nikolayevich Muravyov-Amursky and electrotype 5000. Printer: (Goznak). 157 x 69 mm. Paper.

1997 – 2004 Issues

With the exception of the new 5,000-ruble denomination (although dated 1997, it was not issued until 2006), these notes are like the preceding issues, but with windowed security threads on back, revised vignettes with color moiré patterns on front, and microperforations on notes 100 rubles and higher. The 5-ruble denomination was replaced by a coin, so it isn’t included in this family. On 22 October 2009, the bank announced that in 2010 it would replace the 10-ruble banknote in favor of a coin.

Description: 10 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 150 x 65 mm

Brown, dark green, yellow, and pink. Front: Russian text; bank seal; automobile bridge and passenger boat on Yenisei River in Krasnoyarsk; Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Chapel in Krasnoyarsk. Back: Russian text; Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric dam spillway. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Horizontal 10 (left); Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Chapel (right). Printer: (Goznak). 150 x 65 mm. Paper: Varieties.

Description: 50 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 150 x 65 mm

Blue, brown, red, orange, and green. Front: Russian text; bank seal; female figure symbolizing the Neva River at foot of South rostral column on Birzhevaya Square in Saint Petersburg with Peter and Paul Fortress in background. Back: Russian text; south rostral column and Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange building (now a naval museum). Windowed security thread. Watermark: Horizontal 50 (left); Peter and Paul Fortress (right). Printer: (Goznak). 150 x 65 mm. Paper.

Description: 100 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 150 x 65 mm

Brown, olive green, and burgundy. Front: Russian text; bank seal; bronze sculpture of Apollo in chariot with four horses atop pediment on the Bolshoi Theatre building in Moscow. Back: Russian text; Bolshoi Theatre building in Moscow. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Vertical 100 (left); Bolshoi Theatre (right). Printer: (Goznak). 150 x 65 mm. Paper: Varieties.

Description: 500 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 150 x 65 mm

Violet and blue. Front: Russian text; orange-to-green OVI bank seal; Mark Antokolski’s statue of Peter the Great in Taganrog; sailing ship in the port of Arkhangelsk. Back: Russian text; boat sailing towards Solovetsky Monastery on the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Vertical 500 (left); Peter the Great (right). Printer: (Goznak). 150 x 65 mm. Paper.

Description: 1,000 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 157 x 69 mm

Blue and green. Front: Russian text; OVI bank seal; statue of Prince Yaroslav the Wise; Our Lady of Kazan Chapel with Yaroslavl Kremlin wall in background; OVI Yaroslavl coat of arms with standing bear carrying halberd. Back: Russian text; Saint John the Baptist Church and Bell Tower in Yaroslavl. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Vertical 1000(left); Prince Yaroslav the Wise (right). Printer: (Goznak). 157 x 69 mm. Paper.

Description: 5,000 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 157 x 69 mm

Red and brown. Front: Russian text; OVI bank seal; statue of statesman Nikolay Nikolayevich Muravyov-Amursky; promontory tower in Khabarovsk with commercial ship offshore; Khabarovsk coat of arms in crimson-to-green OVI. Back: Russian text; automobile bridge across Amur River (the border between Russia and China negotiated by Muravyov). 3-mm wide windowed security thread with demetalized 5000. Watermark: Vertical 5000 (left); Nikolay Nikolayevich Muravyov-Amursky and electrotype 5000 (right). Printer: (Goznak). 157 x 69 mm. Paper.

1997 – 2001 New Ruble Issues

With the exception of the new 1,000-ruble denomination, these notes are like the preceding issues. On 1 January 1998, the ruble was redenominated at a rate of 1:1,000, thereby removing three zeros from all denominations, but doing nothing to address the fundamental economic problems afflicting the country at this time. The currency was subsequently devalued in August 1998. The old 1,000-ruble denomination was replaced by a coin.

Description: 10 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 150 x 65 mm

Brown, dark green, yellow, and pink. Front: Russian text; bank seal; automobile bridge and passenger boat on Yenisei River in Krasnoyarsk; Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Chapel in Krasnoyarsk. Back: Russian text; Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric dam spillway. 1-mm wide solid security thread with printed ЦБР 10. Watermark: Horizontal 10 (left); Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Chapel (right). Printer: (Goznak). 150 x 65 mm. Paper.

Description: 50 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 150 x 65 mm

Blue, brown, red, orange, and green. Front: Russian text; bank seal; female figure symbolizing the Neva River at foot of South rostral column on Birzhevaya Square in Saint Petersburg with Peter and Paul Fortress in background. Back: Russian text; south rostral column and Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange building (now a naval museum). 1-mm wide solid security thread with printed ЦБР 50. Watermark: Horizontal 50 (left); Peter and Paul Fortress (right). Printer: (Goznak). 150 x 65 mm. Paper.

Description: 100 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 150 x 65 mm

Brown, olive green, and burgundy. Front: Russian text; bank seal; bronze sculpture of Apollo in chariot with four horses atop pediment on the Bolshoi Theatre building in Moscow. Back: Russian text; Bolshoi Theatre building in Moscow. 1-mm wide solid security thread with printed ЦБР 100. Watermark: Vertical 100 (left); Bolshoi Theatre (right). Printer: (Goznak). 150 x 65 mm. Paper.

Description: 500 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 150 x 65 mm

Violet and blue. Front: Russian text; OVI bank seal; Mark Antokolski’s statue of Peter the Great in Taganrog; sailing ship in the port of Arkhangelsk. Back: Russian text; boat sailing towards Solovetsky Monastery on the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea. 1-mm wide solid security thread with printed ЦБР 500. Watermark: Vertical 500 (left); Peter the Great (right). Printer: (Goznak). 150 x 65 mm. Paper.

Description: 1,000 RUB – Russian Rouble Size: 157 x 69 mm

Blue and green. Front: Russian text; OVI bank seal; statue of Prince Yaroslav the Wise; Our Lady of Kazan Chapel with Yaroslavl Kremlin wall in background; Yaroslavl coat of arms with standing bear carrying halberd. Back: Russian text; Saint John the Baptist Church and Bell Tower in Yaroslavl. 1-mm wide solid security thread with printed ЦБР1000. Watermark: Vertical 1000 (left); Prince Yaroslav the Wise (right). Printer: (Goznak). 157 x 69 mm. Paper.

Bank of Russia
Банк России

The Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia) was founded on 13 July 1990, on the basis of the Russian Republic Bank of the State Bank of the USSR. Accountable to the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic), it was originally called the State Bank of the RSFSR. On 2 December 1990, the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR passed a Law establishing the Central Bank of the RSFSR and recognizing the Bank of Russia as a legal entity of the RSFSR accountable to the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. The law specified the functions of the bank in organizing money circulation, monetary regulation, foreign economic activity, and regulation of the activities of joint-stock and co-operative banks. In June 1991, the Statute of the Central Bank of the RSFSR (Bank of Russia), accountable to the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, was approved.
In November 1991, when the Commonwealth of Independent States was founded and Union structures dissolved, the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR declared the Central Bank of the RSFSR to be the only body of state monetary and foreign exchange regulation in the RSFSR. The functions of the State Bank of the USSR in issuing money and setting the ruble exchange rate were transferred to it. Prior to 1 January 1992, the Central Bank of the RSFSR was instructed to assume full control of the assets, technical facilities, and other resources of the State Bank of the USSR and all its institutions, enterprises, and organizations.
On 20 December 1991, the State Bank of the USSR was disbanded and all its assets, liabilities, and property in the RSFSR were transferred to the Central Bank of the RSFSR, which several months later was renamed the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia).
For more information, visit www.cbr.ru.

Extras

On 11 December 2013, the official symbol for the ruble became a Cyrillic letter P with a single added horizontal stroke (₽). As of mid-2018, no notes have been issued with a printed ruble symbol, but the 2015 Crimea 100-ruble commemorative has the symbol microperforated in the windowed security thread and the 2017 200- and 2,000-ruble issues have the symbol in UV ink.