3 Roubles The Discovery of Antarctica

Issued to mark the 200th anniversary of the Russian Antarctic Expedition of 1819–1821, commanded by Fabian von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev. Their sloops Vostok and Mirny reached the Antarctic ice shelf on January 28, 1820 — a date Russia considers the moment of continental discovery, though British and American expeditions that same season have historically complicated the claim. The bicentennial gave the Russian government a pointed opportunity to reassert that priority.