Russian Winter Olympic mascots to appear on coins

Russia has started minting 10 million commemorative coins featuring the three mascots of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, organisers said Tuesday.

"There will be up to 10 million coins depicting the Bear, Hare and Snow Leopard," the Olympic Committee said in a statement. The coins will become available in April.

A total of 12 kinds of commemorative coins will be issued in 2012, featuring Olympic sports facilities, Sochi city's natural surroundings and Russian winter views, the organisers said.

The Russian Central Bank will also issue a commemorative Olympics 100-ruble bank note in 2013, said Nadezhda Savinskaya of the bank's St. Petersburg department.

"It will be the first experience of issuing commemorative bank notes," Savinskaya said.