Ukraine Introduces New 2,000-Hryvnia Banknote Featuring Vasyl Stus

Ukraine is expanding its banknote series with a new denomination. On September 4, 2026, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) is scheduled to introduce a new 2,000-hryvnia banknote into circulation, making it the highest-denomination banknote currently issued by the country.¹

The new note honors Ukrainian poet, dissident, and human rights activist Vasyl Stus, while incorporating imagery connected to Ukrainian culture, resistance, and national identity. It also introduces several modern security features not previously seen together on a Ukrainian banknote.

The release has already attracted attention for another reason. Shortly after the design was unveiled, criticism surrounding its typography prompted the National Bank of Ukraine to announce that the lettering would be revised before the banknote entered circulation.

A New Denomination for the Ukrainian Hryvnia

The 2,000-hryvnia note expands Ukraine’s current family of banknotes above the 1,000-hryvnia denomination, which had previously been the country’s largest circulating note. According to the National Bank of Ukraine, the new denomination is intended to address changes in Ukraine’s cash circulation and make handling larger cash transactions more convenient. The introduction of the 2,000-hryvnia note does not replace the existing 1,000-hryvnia banknote or other denominations.

The banknote is dated 2026 and carries the signature of NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyy.

At 166 × 75 mm², it is also a physically large note. Its color palette combines blue, olive green, purple, and red, giving it a distinctive appearance while remaining visually connected to Ukraine’s modern banknote series.

Vasyl Stus on the Front

The centerpiece of the new banknote is Vasyl Stus (1938–1985), one of Ukraine’s most significant 20th-century poets and dissidents.

Stus was an outspoken defender of Ukrainian culture and human rights during the Soviet period. His opposition to Soviet repression resulted in repeated arrests and imprisonment. He died in 1985 while incarcerated in a Soviet forced-labor camp.

His inclusion on Ukraine’s highest-denomination banknote gives the design meaning beyond simply introducing a larger monetary value. The note places a figure associated with Ukrainian cultural identity and resistance to Soviet repression directly into the country’s circulating currency.

Alongside Stus’ portrait, the front incorporates lines from his poetry and an image of a kestrel taken from a monumental mosaic by Ukrainian artist Alla Horska. Horska herself became an important figure in Ukraine’s cultural resistance movement during the Soviet era.

The Reverse Design

The reverse features the Faculty of Philology of Donetsk National University, connecting the banknote directly to Stus’ life and education. Stus studied history and literature at what was then the Stalin Pedagogical Institute, later Donetsk State University. In 2016, Donetsk National University was officially renamed in his honor.

The university imagery gives the reverse a more personal connection to Stus rather than simply using a general Ukrainian monument or government building. The reverse also incorporates Ukrainian text and a national slogan, continuing the strong emphasis on Ukrainian identity found throughout the design.

Modern Security Features

For collectors, one of the most interesting parts of the new 2,000-hryvnia note may be its security package.

• The paper banknote includes a windowed blue-and-yellow Anima Colour security thread incorporating the Ukrainian trident and the hryvnia symbol.
• A portrait watermark of Vasyl Stus is paired with an electrotype 2000, providing another recognizable authentication feature when the banknote is held to light.
• The front also contains a color-changing SPARK feature depicting grapes and sheets of paper. The feature changes from green to purple as the banknote is tilted.

Additional printed and integrated security elements continue the approach used throughout Ukraine’s modern banknote family.

Banknote Specifications

Country: Ukraine
Issuer: National Bank of Ukraine
Denomination: 2,000 Hryven
Year: 2026
Scheduled introduction: September 4, 2026
Material: Paper
Size: 166 × 75 mm
Primary colors: Blue, olive green, purple, and red
Obverse: Vasyl Stus, poetry and cultural imagery
Reverse: Faculty of Philology of Donetsk National University
Watermark: Vasyl Stus and electrotype 2000
Signature: NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyy

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A Design Controversy Before Release

Unusually, the banknote attracted criticism before it even reached circulation.

Following the unveiling of the 2,000-hryvnia design, Ukrainian designers and typography professionals raised concerns about the fonts used on the note. Particular attention was directed toward lettering that critics argued was visually inappropriate for a Ukrainian national banknote.

The National Bank responded to the criticism and announced that it would update the font treatment of the 2,000-hryvnia banknote.³

The NBU thanked members of the professional design community for bringing attention to the issue and indicated that the typography would be corrected.

That makes the 2,000-hryvnia note an especially interesting release from a banknote-design perspective. Typography can easily be overlooked compared with portraits, security threads, holographic elements, or elaborate guilloche patterns, but typefaces are an important part of a country’s visual identity. The controversy surrounding this note demonstrates just how closely every element of modern currency design can be scrutinized.

It may also make images of the originally announced design an interesting part of the banknote’s history, particularly if noticeable differences exist between the initial promotional images and the notes ultimately released into circulation.

An Important New Ukrainian Banknote

The introduction of a 2,000-hryvnia denomination represents a significant change to Ukraine’s circulating currency. From a collector’s perspective, however, the denomination itself is only part of what makes the issue interesting.

The choice of Vasyl Stus places a prominent Ukrainian cultural and political dissident on the country’s highest-value banknote. The imagery connects his story with other figures and institutions associated with Ukrainian cultural identity, while the security package incorporates several visually distinctive modern features.

Even before its September 4 release, the banknote has developed its own story through the controversy surrounding its original typography and the NBU’s decision to revise it. For collectors of modern world currency, the 2026 Ukraine 2,000-hryvnia banknote will be one to watch as examples begin entering circulation.

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Sources

National Bank of Ukraine: Banknote denomination of 2,000 hryvnias

1. National Bank of Ukraine, “2,000-Hryvnia Banknote to Be Put into Circulation.” ↩︎
2. Numista Ref: 591553 ↩︎
3. LIGA.net: NBU to Redesign 2,000-Hryvnia Banknote After Font Criticism ↩︎