A number of public figures have advocated for more careful selection of images for money bills.
The Central Bank has suspended the issue of a new 1,000-ruble bill following complaints from religious activists who accused the regulator of demeaning symbols of Orthodoxy and Russian statehood before symbols of Islam. The Central Bank of Russia posted the message on its own website.
It is about the fact that Orthodox activists complained about the design of the banknote, which depicts the palace church in the Kazan Kremlin in Tatarstan. The building is now a museum, so there is no cross on it. But activists saw the absence of the cross as a provocation.
A number of public figures advocated for a more careful selection of images for money banknotes. They were supported by Andrei Klishas, the head of the Council of Federation Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building, who proposed to organize public discussions on such issues with the participation of representatives of denominations.
The Bank of Russia said that it would review and finalize the design of the banknote, which caused such a mixed reaction.