MOSCOW, August 9 The National Bank of Ukraine has begun issuing a banknote with a slogan that was used by members of the extremist organization «Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists»*, and has also been used in the country in recent years.
«»For the 33rd anniversary of Ukraine's Independence, the National Bank of Ukraine has issued modified banknotes of the national currency, complementing their design with the slogan of modern Ukraine: «Glory to Ukraine! «Glory to the heroes,» says the message published on the National Bank's website.
According to the regulator, modified banknotes of 500 and 1000 hryvnias will be gradually introduced into circulation from August 8. Banknotes of 50 hryvnias will be introduced from August 23, and in subsequent years — banknotes of 20, 100 and 200 hryvnias.
«Money is not just a means of payment or a measure of value. It is a symbol of the state that each of us holds in our hands every day. Therefore, paying tribute to the invincibility of our people, capturing this turning point in the birth of the Ukrainian nation, which we are living through today, we add our slogan to all banknotes,» the NBU quotes the words of the head of the National Bank Andriy Pyshny.
The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists* (OUN*) and its military wing, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army* (UPA*), are banned in Russia as extremist. The leader of the OUN* was Stepan Bandera, one of the main initiators of the creation of the UPA*, the goal of which was declared to be the struggle for the independence of Ukraine. The UPA* was formed in October 1942, operated primarily in Western Ukraine and fought against Soviet troops, collaborating with the Nazis. The OUN* and UPA* are responsible for many crimes, including the Volyn massacre — the mass extermination of the Polish population in Volyn in 1943.
* An extremist organization banned in Russia.