To commemorate heroic deeds during Great Patriotic War

On 16 April 2026, the Bank of Russia issues the following 2-ruble silver commemorative coins of the series Heroes of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945:

– ‘Issa Pliyev’; and

– ‘Aleksey Maresyev’.

Issa Pliyev was an outstanding commander and twice Hero of the Soviet Union. He was renowned as a master of swift attacks. During the Great Patriotic War, he participated in almost all decisive battles, such as the Battles of Moscow, Stalingrad, and Kursk as well as the Budapest and Prague Offensives. Pliyev was awarded his first Hero of the Soviet Union Gold Star medal in 1944 for crossing the Southern Bug and the second one – for his merits in defeating the Kwantung Army in Manchuria in 1945.

Aleksey Maresyev was a legendary Soviet fighter pilot. He was wounded and shot down by the enemy. It took him 18 days to crawl towards his own lines. Due to frostbite, Maresyev lost both legs. Afterwards, he mastered prosthetic limbs and returned to active service. Maresyev’s story inspired Boris Polevoi, the author of A Story About a Real Man. In July 1943, Maresyev managed to cover two Soviet pilots and shoot down two Nazi fighters simultaneously, for which he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

The 2-ruble silver coins (fine metal content 15.55 g, fineness 925/1,000) have a round shape and are 33.0 mm in diameter.

The obverse and the reverse of the coins have a relief rim around the circumference.

The obverse of the coins features a relief image of the National Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation and the inscriptions ‘РОССИЙСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ’ (RUSSIAN FEDERATION) and ‘БАНК РОССИИ’ (BANK OF RUSSIA), the denomination of the coins ‘2 РУБЛЯ’ (2 RUBLES), the year of issue ‘2026 г.’ (2026), the chemical symbol of the metal according to Mendeleev’s Periodic Table of Elements, fineness, the Saint Petersburg Mint trademark, and fine metal content.

The reverse of:

– the coin ‘Issa Pliyev’ (Catalogue No. 5110-0193) features the relief images of the portrait of Issa Pliyev, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, and Gold Star medals against the background of the images of Issa Pliyev on horseback and a group of horse riders, laser treated for matte finishing, and the inscription ‘И.А. ПЛИЕВ’ (ISSA PLIYEV) under the portrait; and

– the coin ‘Aleksey Maresyev’ (Catalogue No. 5110-0194) features the relief images of the portrait of Aleksey Maresyev, Hero of the Soviet Union, and a Gold Star medal against the background of a silhouette of a flying aeroplane and stylised images of contrails in the sky, laser treated for matte finishing, and the inscription ‘А.П. МАРЕСЬЕВ’ (ALEKSEY MARESYEV) under the portrait.

The edge of the coins is corrugated.

The coins are minted in proof quality.

The mintage of the coins is 3,000 pcs of each design.

The new coins are legal tender of the Russian Federation and are mandatory for acceptance for all kinds of payments without any restrictions at their face value.

The reference to the Press Service is mandatory if you intend to use this material.

15.04.2026 10.45.26