Back in 1704, the ruble was a coin that represented 28 grams of silver, and in the year 1897, the silver ruble was replaced by the gold standard. While Russia underwent a slew of monetary reforms in the next few decades, the ruble was retained as the main instrument of payment while the banknotes were considered secondary.
The Russian ruble replaced that of the Soviet Union in 1993, the Government minted banknotes and coins the official payment unit. Besides being the official Russian currency, the ruble is also used in Belarus (Belarussian ruble), and Transnistria (Transnistrian ruble). In fact, back in the day, certain Eastern European countries were also known to use the ruble, which was also the world’s first decimal monetary unit. If you were to visit the country, understanding this conversion could help: 100 kopeks make one ruble and 100 rubles make a palochka.