5 Hryven

This series was introduced as part of Ukraine's broader shift away from paper hryvnia banknotes toward a more durable coin-based circulation — a transition the National Bank pursued aggressively through the 2010s in response to the short lifespan of low-denomination paper currency in everyday use. Nickel-plated zinc was chosen largely on cost grounds, as the hryvnia's purchasing power made expensive alloys impractical for a coin at this face value.

Production continued through the full-scale Russian invasion period beginning in 2022, with the Luhansk and Donetsk minting infrastructure long since inaccessible — all output consolidated at the Kyiv facilities of Ukrainski Suvenirnyi Monetni Dvir.