2 Kopecks - Military Trade Cheque

Vneshtorgbank's military trade cheques — commonly called "voennie cheki" — were issued through Vneshtorgbank's retail subsidiary Vneshtorgsylka to Soviet military personnel serving abroad, primarily in Warsaw Pact countries and Soviet-aligned states in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Hard currency was forbidden to ordinary servicemen, so these cheques functioned as a controlled substitute, redeemable only at closed Voenirtorg military stores inaccessible to the local population. The system kept foreign exchange out of soldiers' hands while still giving them purchasing power.

The 1976 series replaced an earlier military cheque system with tighter denomination controls. Low-value fractional cheques like this 2-kopeck piece exist because store prices were set to the kopeck — change had to be made somehow.