On 29 July, the National Bank of Ukraine put into circulation a commemorative coin entitled «Ukrainian Cotton. Sea Baby Maritime Drone», dedicated to the Security Service of Ukraine’s surface unmanned system. It has a face value of 5 hryvnias, and the mintage is up to 75,000 pieces. Sales via the NBU’s online shop and participating banks will begin on 30 July.
Briefly about the main points
- The NBU has put a coin featuring the Sea Baby marine drone into circulation.
- The face value of the commemorative coin is 5 hryvnias.
- The print run is up to 75,000 copies.
- Sales via the NBU and distributors will begin on 30 July.
- The price will be set by the sellers in accordance with the rules governing the sale of numismatic items.
Coin design and sales
The obverse features a stylised trident, complemented by an image of Sea Baby in motion. The reverse depicts a vessel cutting through the waves of the Black Sea; at the top is the SBU logo, and below it the inscription ‘SEA BABY’ in the style of military stencil markings.
The letter Y in the name has been stylised to resemble the Victory sign. The graphic designer is Andrii Yermolenko, and the sculptor is Volodymyr Demyanenko.
The coin will be supplied in souvenir packaging. Its price at ticket offices and on distributors’ websites will be determined in accordance with the rules governing the sale of numismatic products.
Sea Baby in a series on defence developments
This issue continues the numismatic series dedicated to Ukrainian defence developments and their creators. In January NBU has already put into circulation the 5-hryvnia coin «Ukrainian Cotton. “Palyanytsia” Drone Rocket», with a mintage of up to 75,000 pieces.
The first Sea Baby prototypes appeared in 2022. The system, developed by SBU specialists for combat missions in the Black Sea, has a modular design, allowing it to be fitted with various equipment and armaments depending on the mission.
Sea Baby is capable of striking explosive targets, carrying out remote mining operations, disrupting coastal infrastructure and engaging strategic air, surface and ground targets. It was Sea Baby that carried out the attack on the Crimean Bridge and damaged a number of Russian Black Sea Fleet warships.
In early July, the President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is working on scaling up and modernising the Sea Baby maritime drones and Magura. Against this backdrop, the launch of the coin can be seen as public recognition of technologies whose development the state continues to support.
How the implementation will work
The coin will be available for purchase from the NBU’s online shop and from participating banks. To make a purchase from the National Bank’s online shop, you will need to verify your account via the NBU’s BankID.
A face value of 5 hryvnias does not imply a fixed retail price. Distributing banks may apply a mark-up within the limits set by the NBU, so prices may vary between different retailers.
