Nearly 700,000 individuals participated in the online voting on the Bank of Russia’s website to select symbols for the reverse side of a new banknote dedicated to the Volga Federal District. The selection process spanned two weeks and involved 25 sites within the district.
The most popular choices among voters included Meteor, a hydrofoil boat designed for high-speed passenger transport; the Agricultural Palace; Saratov Bridge; Monument to Salavat Yulaev; Kazan Federal University’s main building; Zhigulyovskaya Hydraulic Power Station; Mother Patroness Monument; State Memorial and Architectural Complex ‘Memorial Estate of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’; State Lermontov Museum-Preserve Tarkhany, and Erzya Mordovian Republican Museum of Fine Arts.
Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina stated, “Now, it is for the artists of the Bank of Russia and Goznak to decide which sites to choose. They are to create a harmonious composition of symbols preferred by the public while combining these symbols with security elements.” She further explained that artists would determine which symbols will be prominent or in the background, how many will be chosen, and what could be used as micro images. Design sketches will be prepared by these artists, with the final version being selected by the Bank of Russia Board of Directors.
The upgraded 1,000-ruble banknote is expected to be presented at the end of 2025 at an event organized by the Russia National Centre. The obverse side featuring Nizhny Novgorod sites was unveiled last year and will remain unchanged.
Previously, modified versions of 100- and 5,000-ruble banknotes have been issued by the Bank of Russia. There are also plans to upgrade other denominations such as 10-, 50-, and 500-ruble notes with input from experts and public preferences considered during symbol selection.
