5 Roubles Battle of Kursk

Issued as part of Russia's long-running commemorative series marking the 70th anniversary of key World War II engagements, this piece honors the July 1943 battle widely regarded as the largest tank engagement in history. The Kursk salient operation — Hitler's Operation Citadel — was launched with foreknowledge on the Soviet side, as British intelligence derived from Enigma intercepts had been passed to Moscow, allowing Zhukov to construct defensive lines in depth before the German armored thrust even began.

The base metal composition was a deliberate cost-control decision by the Bank of Russia for this commemorative run — the series issued dozens of titles across 2014 and 2015.