Issued in 2000, this coin commemorates the 55th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany — a date that carried particular weight in Ukraine, where wartime losses were among the most catastrophic of any occupied territory. Estimates of Ukrainian civilian and military dead range from five to eight million, figures that remained politically sensitive throughout the Soviet period and were still being reassessed at the time of this coin's release.
Ukraine had been issuing independence-era commemoratives since 1995, and this silver series established the 33.63g/.925 format that became the workhorse specification for the National Bank's collector program through the early 2000s.
Issued in 2000, this coin commemorates the 55th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany — a date that carried particular weight in Ukraine, where wartime losses were among the most catastrophic of any occupied territory. Estimates of Ukrainian civilian and military dead range from five to eight million, figures that remained politically sensitive throughout the Soviet period and were still being reassessed at the time of this coin's release.
Ukraine had been issuing independence-era commemoratives since 1995, and this silver series established the 33.63g/.925 format that became the workhorse specification for the National Bank's collector program through the early 2000s.