Bank of Russia Cancels 500-Ruble Design Vote Over Manipulation

The Bank of Russia canceled the vote to choose symbols for the new 500-ruble banknote after detecting vote manipulation, Orda.kz reports, citing The Insider.

The poll had pitted Chechen authorities, who promoted the “Grozny City” complex, against pro-war “Z” bloggers supporting Mount Elbrus.

The Central Bank said a new vote will be held later under stricter rules to prevent abuse.

Earlier, Ramzan Kadyrov announced a raffle of ten iPhone 17s for those voting for Grozny City, while blogger Vladislav Pozdnyakov called the campaign for Elbrus “a war for Christ and the Motherland.”