The Makhnovist ruble was a banknote issued by the

Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine The Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine ( uk, Революційна Повстанська Армія України), also known as the Black Army or as Makhnovtsi ( uk, Махновці), named after their leader Nestor Makhno, was a ...

, during the

Ukrainian War of Independence The Ukrainian War of Independence was a series of conflicts involving many adversaries that lasted from 1917 to 1921 and resulted in the establishment and development of a Ukrainian republic, most of which was later absorbed into the Soviet U ...

, in the territory of the

Makhnovshchina The Makhnovshchina () was an attempt to form a stateless anarchist society in parts of Ukraine during the Russian Revolution of 1917–1923. It existed from 1918 to 1921, during which time free soviets and libertarian communes operated under t ...

. The Makhnovist ruble was produced by

overprint An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage or revenue stamp, postal stationery, banknote or ticket after it has been printed. Post offices most often use overprints for internal administrative pur ...

ing various banknotes of the states of the former

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, most often on the issued by the

Rostov Rostov ( rus, Росто́в, p=rɐˈstof) is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population: While t ...

office of the

Don Republic __NOTOC__ The Don Republic (russian: Донская Республика, later known as the Almighty Don Host, or russian: Всевеликое Войско Донское, ''Vsevelikoye Voysko Donskoye'') was an independent self-proclaimed anti- ...

's State Bank. There were a significant number of types of overprints. Some of them increased the denomination of banknotes by 10 times, others, which did not change the denomination of banknotes, carried the name of the Insurgent Army or its subdivision, or campaign and other texts. The Makhnovists did not issue their own paper banknotes. Full-fledged banknotes, allegedly printed and issued by the Insurgent Army, were found to be

counterfeit To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...

. The issuing of banknotes by the Makhnovshchina was noted by the

Ukrainian People's Army The Ukrainian People's Army ( uk, Армія Української Народної Республіки), also known as the Ukrainian National Army (UNA) or as a derogatory term of Russian and Soviet historiography Petliurovtsy ( uk, Пет� ...

, which reported in July 1920 that the Makhnovists were issuing banknotes worth 1,000

Ukrainian karbovanets The ''karbovanets'' or ''karbovanet'' ( uk, карбованець, translit=karbovanets, plural: карбованці, ''karbovantsi'' for 2–4, or карбованців, ''karbovantsiv'' for 5 or more), also known as ''kupon'' ( uk, купо� ...

, as well as the American journalist

William Henry Chamberlin William Henry Chamberlin (February 17, 1897 – September 12, 1969) was an American historian and journalist. He was the author of several books about the Cold War, communism, and foreign policy, including ''The Russian Revolution 1917-1921'' (19 ...

, who later reported that the notes bore a message stating that nobody would be prosecuted for forging the currency. Another banknote's reverse was reported to have stated: "Hey, chum, stop worrying! The smart money is on Makhno!" Colin Darch noted that reports of the Makhnovist banknotes were probable, as there was a systemic lack of legal tender due to the war, which had resulted in over 350

alternative currencies A complementary currency is a currency or medium of exchange that is not necessarily a national currency, but that is thought of as supplementing or complementing national currencies. Complementary currencies are usually not legal tender and thei ...

circulating throughout the former Russian Empire. However,

Nestor Makhno Nestor Ivanovych Makhno, The surname "Makhno" ( uk, Махно́) was itself a corruption of Nestor's father's surname "Mikhnenko" ( uk, Міхненко). ( 1888 – 25 July 1934), also known as Bat'ko Makhno ("Father Makhno"),; According to ...

's wife

Halyna Kuzmenko Agafya "Halyna" Andriivna Kuzmenko ( ukr, Галина Андріївна Кузьменко; 1897–1978) was a Ukrainian teacher and anarchist revolutionary. After moving to southern Ukraine, she became a prominent figure within the ranks of ...

disputed the existence of any Makhnovist currency, dismissing reports as "fairy tales and inventions, stories and legends created by people’s fancies."

References

{{Ukraine currency and coinage 1919 establishments in Ukraine 1920 disestablishments in Ukraine Alternative currencies Counterfeit money Currencies introduced in 1919 Currencies of Ukraine Makhnovshchina Modern obsolete currencies

See also

References