Paper money in Russia comes in a variety of denominations, with 50-ruble notes being the smallest still issued (five- and 10-ruble notes have been discontinued) and 5,000-ruble notes being the largest. The colors of each denomination note are as follows: blue 50s, red-brown 100s, pink 500s, light green 1,000s and red 5,000s. There are also one-, two-, five- and 10-ruble coins. The ruble is subdivided into 100 kopecks, and there are coins of one, five, 10 and 50 kopecks.
The ruble has gone through six reissues, with drastic value changes each time. The initial ruble was in place for more than 200 years, until a dramatic decrease in value in 1921 prompted a reissue. The most recent re-denomination was in 1998, when the seventh ruble was introduced, at a value of 1,000 times the previous rubles.
As noted above, as of May 10, 2011, one Russian ruble equaled 0.0361 U.S. dollars, or less than four cents. On the same date, one Russian ruble was equivalent to 0.02503 euros, 0.02202 British pounds, 0.03320 Australian dollars and 0.03447 Canadian dollars.
Most currency exchanges in Russia will only exchange U.S. dollars and euros for rubles. It's not legal to use U.S. dollars or euros for transactions in Russia, but some establishments -- generally pricier ones -- will still mark prices in U.S. dollar or euro rates. Banks, large restaurants and currency exchanges often accept major credit cards, especially in big cities.
