20 Roubles Brest

Issued as part of Belarus's long-running series commemorating the fortress cities of the Second World War, this piece marks Brest Fortress, site of one of the most brutal early engagements of Operation Barbarossa. When German forces crossed the Bug River on June 22, 1941, the Soviet garrison — vastly outnumbered and cut off within hours — held out for nearly a month against encirclement. The last documented defender scratched a inscription into the fortress wall: "I am dying but I am not surrendering. Farewell, Motherland."

The fortress was designated a Hero-Fortress by Soviet decree in 1965.