Russia issues new banknote to honor Crimea
by Alanna Petroff @AlannaPetroff
December 23, 2015: 12:27 PM ET
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| cnn.com |
Russia likes Crimea so much that it has issued a special new banknote to honor the region.
The new design is sure to annoy Ukraine and its allies. Russia wrested control of Crimea from Ukraine in early 2014 following a hasty referendum.
This political and military move in Crimea isolated Russia from the rest of the Western world, leading the U.S., Europe and a number of other nations to issue punishing sanctions against high-ranking Russian individuals and companies.
The Russian central bank said the new banknotes will go into circulation Wednesday. It is printing 20 million copies of the 100 ruble banknote.
A single 100 ruble banknote is worth about $1.42. (Back when Russia annexed Crimea, this banknote would have been worth $2.75.)
The currency design features a castle in Crimea on one side, while the other side showcases a monument in the Crimean city, Sevastopol.
The Russian central bank boasts that the design features a QR code that smartphone users can scan to find out more "historical information on the commemorative banknote."
The banknote release comes in the same month that the ruble has hit an all-time low versus the U.S. dollar.
The ruble has lost over half its value in the past two years as the Russian economy has struggled to cope with the pressure of international sanctions and low oil prices. Russia is a major oil and gas exporter and it has been slammed by the unexpected drop in energy prices over the past two years.
Russia has also been blamed by the international community for supporting separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine, leading to thousands of deaths in the region.
European Union leaders on Monday decided to extend their economic sanctions against Russia until mid-2016 to pressure Russia into restoring order and calm to the war-torn parts of eastern Ukraine.
俄國鍾情克里米亞到發行一種特別新鈔，展現對這個地區的崇拜。
這新鈔惹怒了烏克蘭。
2014年初俄國藉由草率的公投取得對克里米亞的控制權。這場政治軍事行動使得俄國被其他西方國家隔離，並讓美國，歐洲與其他國家對俄國高階人士及公司發起抵制性的懲罰。
俄國央行表示新鈔在星期三正式流通，將發行幣值100盧布的鈔票共2,000萬張。
目前100新盧布等於1.42美元，併吞克里米亞前可能有機會等值2.75美元。
新鈔其中一面設計為克里米亞城堡，另一面則放上克里米亞城市，賽凡堡的紀念碑。
俄國央行還將新鈔設計弄成一個QR code讓手機使用者們可以一探這個紀念性新鈔的歷史資訊。
不過新鈔發行同月剛好是俄國盧布兌美元的歷史新低點。
在過去兩年內盧布已貶值超過一半，主要是因為俄國經濟遭受國際制裁及原油價格走低的壓力。俄國是石油及天然氣主要出口國，過去兩年能源價格未預期的貶落狠狠地甩了俄國一個大巴掌。
俄國同時也被國際社會指責，因支持分離主義者在西烏克蘭的運動而造成當地上千人死亡。
星期一歐盟領導人裁定繼續維持對俄國的經濟制裁行動，一直到2016年中，迫使俄國須協助西烏克蘭地區恢復秩序並收斂戰爭行為。
banknote (n.) 新鈔
annoy (v.) 惹惱
wrest (v.) 取得
ruble (n.) 盧布
annex (v.) 併吞
boast (v.) 自誇
commemorative (adj.) 紀念性的
separatist (n.) 分離主義者
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