“30th Anniversary of the Withdrawal of the Soviet Army from Poland”, a new collector coin issued by NBP

The silver collector coin ”30th Anniversary of the Withdrawal of the Soviet Army from Poland” will be available for sale from 14 September 2023.

The 10 złoty coin is made of 925 purity silver, has a diameter of 32.00 mm and weighs 14.14 grams. Its mintage will be up to 12,000 pieces.

The reverse of the coin features the slogan ”SOVIETS GO HOME” from the 1989 demonstration and an image of a hand that, in a symbolic way, orders the Soviet army to leave Poland. A fragment of the photo from the collection of NAF Dementi (authors: Tomasz Kizny, Anna Łoś, Andrzej Łuca, Henryk Prykiel/”Remembrance and Future” Centre) has been used to design the coin. The reverse also features the date ”17 IX 1993 r.”, when the last Soviet units left Poland.

Tens of thousands Red Army troops of the so-called Northern Group of Forces had stationed in Poland since the end of World War II. Their units were deployed in over 70 localities, mostly in western and northern Poland, with the Northern Group command headquartered in Legnica.

Prior to the 1956 agreement between the Polish Peoples’ Republic and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the latter’s military presence in Poland had not been legally regulated. It was only under the specific arrangements related to the general agreement of 1956 that the number of Soviet military personnel was set at 62,000–66,000 troops, including 40,000 ground troops, 17,000 airmen and 7,000 troops in the navy. It is estimated that during the almost 50-year presence of the Soviet troops, related traffic accidents, accidental shots or intentional shots claimed the lives of over 600 Polish citizens.

First military units left Poland in April 1991. On 22 May 1992, i.e. more than a year later, “a protocol regulating property, financial and other matters related to the withdrawal of the Russian Federation troops from Poland” was signed. Under the protocol, the Russians had withdrawn all combat forces by October 1992, with the last units leaving Poland on 17 September 1993.

The entire process of transporting the troops, which was a big logistics operation involving the evacuation of over 1,500 tanks and combat vehicles, was mostly carried out by rail.

The solver coin ”30th Anniversary of the Withdrawal of the Soviet Army from Poland” can be purchased at NBP regional branches and in the NBP online shop Kolekcjoner at the price of PLN 190.

For more information, go to the brochure.

NBP collector coins and banknotes are sold in commercial packaging with an attached certificate.

The next issue is scheduled for 26 September 2023. On this day, Narodowy Bank Polski will be putting into circulation a collector coin ”The Independence March”, with a face value of 10 złoty.

Contact data:

Contact for collectors: e-mail kolekcjoner@nbp.pl, tel. +48 22 185 17 05

Contact for the media: e-mail press@nbp.pl, tel. +48 22 185 2012

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About NBP

Narodowy Bank Polski holds the exclusive right to issue banknotes and coins in Poland. All currency issued by NBP – including collector banknotes and coins – is legal tender in Poland. Issuing collector items is an occasion to commemorate important historic figures and anniversaries, as well as to develop the interest of the public in Polish culture, science and tradition.

High-resolution images of the coins: https://nbp.pl/en/coins-and-banknotes/collector-coins/catalogue/