2 Hryvni Serhiy Koroliov

Serhiy Koroliov — known in the West as Sergei Korolev — was the anonymous genius behind the Soviet space program for most of his career. His identity was classified; he was referred to publicly only as the "Chief Designer" until his death in 1966 revealed his name to the world. Ukraine claims him as a native son, born in Zhytomyr in 1907, which is precisely why this centennial commemorative came from Kyiv rather than Moscow.

He died on the operating table during what was supposed to be routine surgery, a loss that many historians argue set the Soviet lunar program back irreparably.