Obverse. Photo © Bank of Russia
  • 25 Rubles 2019, Russia, Federation, Weapons Designers of the of Great Patriotic War Victory (1941-1945), Josef Kotin - Tank IS-2
  • 25 Rubles 2019, Russia, Federation, Weapons Designers of the of Great Patriotic War Victory (1941-1945), Josef Kotin - Tank IS-2
Description

The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Northern, Southern and Central and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945. It has been known as the Great Patriotic War in the former Soviet Union and in modern Russia.

The battles on the Eastern Front constituted the largest military confrontation in history. They were characterized by unprecedented ferocity, wholesale destruction, mass deportations, and immense loss of life due to combat, starvation, exposure, disease, and massacres. Of the estimated 70 million deaths attributed to World War II, over 30 million, many of them civilian, occurred on the Eastern Front. The Eastern Front was decisive in determining the outcome of the European portion of World War II, eventually serving as the main reason for the defeat of Nazi Germany. It resulted in the destruction of the Third Reich, the partition of Germany for nearly half a century and the rise of the Soviet Union as a military and industrial superpower.

Date of issue: 2 December 2019

Obverse

In the centre the relief image of the National Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation, above the semicircular inscription along the rim THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION framed on both sides by ornamental elements of doubled rhombuses, in the lower part of the disc, at the edge the horizontal inscription BANK OF RUSSIA, 25 RUBLES and the date 2019 under it, over it to the right the mint trade mark.

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.

Designer: E. V. Kramskaya
Sculptor: A. A. Dolgopolova

РОССИЙСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ
ММД
БАНК РОССИИ
25 РУБЛЕЙ
2019 г.

Reverse

Depicts a relief image of the IS-2 heavy tank and the inscription IS-2 on the left; along the rim there are the inscriptions WEAPONS OF THE GREAT VICTORY at the top and J. Y. KOTIN at the bottom.

Josef Yakovlevich Kotin (1908-1979) was a Soviet armor design engineer, Head of all three Leningrad armor design bureaux (1937–39), Chief Designer of the Narkomat for Tank Industry (1939-1941), Deputy Narkom for the tank industry of the Soviet Union (1941-1943), Director of the VNII-100 Research Institute at Kirov Plant, Deputy Defense Industry Minister of the Soviet Union 1968-1972. He is best known for leading the design of some of the Kliment Voroshilov tanks, IS tank family, T-10 tank, SU-152 self-propelled heavy howitzer, Kirovets K-700 tractor and many other armored vehicles and heavy machinery.

The IS Tank was a series of heavy tanks developed as a successor to the KV-series by the Soviet Union during World War II. The IS acronym is the initialism of Joseph Stalin (Iosif Stalin). The heavy tanks were designed with thick armor to counter German 88 mm guns and carried a main gun capable of defeating Tiger II, Tiger I, and Panther tanks. They were mainly designed as breakthrough tanks, firing a heavy high-explosive shell that was useful against entrenchments and bunkers. The IS-2 went into service in April 1944 and was used as a spearhead by the Red Army in the final stage of the Battle of Berlin.

Designer: E. V. Kramskaya
Sculptor: O. G. Shepel

ОРУЖИЕ ВЕЛИКОЙ ПОБЕДЫ
ИС-2
Ж.Я. КОТИН

Edge

180 corrugations

Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Cupronickel
Weight 10 g
Diameter 27 mm
Thickness 2.3 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Moscow Mint (MMD)

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