3 Rouble People's Voluntary Corps

Issued to mark the 200th anniversary of the 1812 patriotic war series, this coin commemorates the народное ополчение — the civilian militias raised across Russian cities and provinces after Napoleon's advance made clear that the regular army alone could not hold the line. Moscow's governor Rostopchin organized tens of thousands of tradesmen, serfs, and minor nobility into units that, while rarely engaged in pitched battle, provided critical logistical and rear-guard support throughout the campaign.

The Bank of Russia released dozens of individual pieces within this anniversary program, making completionist collecting an exercise in patience.