The Central Bank will invite Russians to choose symbols for the new thousand banknote after complaints from the Russian Orthodox Church

An advisory board on banknotes has been created at the Central Bank, which will consider the proposals of the expert group and compile a list of attractions of the Volga Federal District that can appear on the back of the banknote (the front side will remain the same). At the end of November, council members are scheduled to present the final list of symbols at an open meeting and then Russian citizens will be able to vote. The final design will be approved by the Board of Directors of the Central Bank.

The updated thousandth note was launched in October 2023, but the regulator suspended its issuance that same month to finalize the design. It was criticized by representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, who did not like the fact that on the dome of the ancient palace church, placed on the back of the banknote, there was no Christian cross.

“I think the selection of images on banknotes should be approached more carefully. So as not to create tensions where there probably are none. And it simply should not be like this,” Vladimir Legoida, head of the Synodal Department for relations of the Russian Orthodox Church with society and the media, wrote on his Telegram channel.

Now in the building of the former palatial church there is the State History Museum of the Tatar People and Tatarstan. The main specialist of this institution, Liliya Khairutdinova, told the Telegram channel “Rise” that the cross was removed from the dome with the arrival of Soviet power.