Russian propagandists criticise Kadyrov for promoting proposal to feature Chechnya on new ruble banknote
Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov has called on his followers to support a design featuring the Grozny City complex of skyscrapers for the new ₽500 banknote. Members of the Russian Community (Russkaya Obshchina) movement and several pro-Kremlin bloggers opposed the idea, calling the inclusion of a Chechen landmark on the note an ‘ideological diversion’.
The public vote on the design of the new banknote began on 1 October on the Bank of Russia’s official website and will continue until 14 October. According to the organisers, the note will be dedicated to Pyatigorsk and the North Caucasus Federal District. Six options were proposed for the front side and sixteen for the reverse, including Grozny City and Mount Elbrus in Kabarda–Balkaria, the highest peak in the Caucasus and Russia.
Kadyrov announced the contest on his Telegram channel and urged followers to vote for the Chechen option four times, using different verification methods. He described Grozny City as the main symbol of Grozny’s rebirth and linked it to what he called the ‘victory over international terrorism’.
Interestingly, the Bank of Russia’s proposed design does not include the iconic panorama of the Heart of Chechnya mosque, which forms part of the same architectural ensemble as the business centre.
The commander of the Akhmat special forces unit, Apti Alaudinov, also joined the campaign encouraging votes for the Chechen capital, though his appeal was less insistent than Kadyrov’s.
Following Kadyrov’s post, MMA fighter and blogger Maksim Divnich, who has previously clashed with Alaudinov, called on his audience to vote against Grozny and support the Elbrus option instead. Divnich stated that, in his view, the existing ₽500 note featuring Peter the Great and Arkhangelsk should not be changed at all, but if necessary, the alternative should depict Mount Elbrus on the reverse and the Elizabethan Gallery in Pyatigorsk on the front.
‘This war is not just about the design of the ₽500 note. This is a war for Christ! A war for the Motherland. For the bright, pure Rus. A war for a united Russia without Nazism. A war for the true hero of Russia, Shamanov. A war for justice. A war for all of us and our future,’ wrote Vladislav Pozdnyakov, founder of the Male State movement — designated as extremist in Russia — on his Telegram channel.
The ultranationalist organisation Russian Community also opposed the Grozny option, calling it an ‘anti-Russian and Christianophobic diversion’. Representatives of the group suggested that the banknote redesign might serve the interests of a ‘pan-Islamist lobby’. According to them, the Bank of Russia is gradually removing depictions of monasteries, crosses, and historic figures from banknotes, replacing them with ‘mountains, boats, and buildings’. The Russian Community further suggested that including Grozny City in the vote might have been a deliberate move to mobilise voters in favour of Elbrus.
As of 2 hours on 7 October, Mount Elbrus leads the voting with nearly 450,000 votes, while Grozny City ranks second with about 400,000. In the voting for the front side dedicated to Pyatigorsk, the Elizabethan Gallery holds a clear lead.
Earlier, Akhmat commander Apti Alaudinov had demanded an apology from Maksim Divnich over comments about Chechen fighters. The dispute began after Divnich claimed that a fighter involved in a conflict in Luhansk was part of the Akhmat unit. Since then, the two men have continued their public exchanges on social media.
Elizaveta Chukharova
