The relief image of the rider on horseback killing a dragon with a spear. To the right below, under the front hoof of the horse the Cyrillic letters М (Moscow) or С-П (Saint Petersburg), indicating the mint (mintmark). Above from the left to the right the inscription along the rim: BANK OF RUSSIA divided by the figure of the rider. Below under the image of the dragon the year of mintage.

The two main elements of Russian state symbols (the two-headed eagle and the mounted figure slaying the dragon) predate Peter the Great. Today, however, the official description does not refer to the rider on the central shield as representing Saint George, mainly in order to maintain the secular character of the modern Russian state. The imperial crowns on each head stand for the unity and sovereignty of Russia, both as a whole and in its constituent republics and regions. The orb and scepter grasped in the eagle's talons are traditional heraldic symbols of sovereign power and authority. They have been retained in the modern Russian arms despite the fact that the Russian Federation is not a monarchy.

The denomination of the coin: the figure 5, under it the word KOPECKS written horizontal; at the bottom of the disc the stylized vegetable ornament in form of two branches.