1920 Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, provisional issue: an Imperial Russian 15-kopeck stamp bearing a black upward-reading “РУБ” overprint, revaluing it to 15 rubles.

“РУБ” is the Russian abbreviation for rubles. Changing the currency unit while retaining the printed numeral multiplied the stamp’s face value one hundred times. These local provisionals were a practical response to the inflation and disruption of the Civil War, allowing existing Imperial stamp stocks to remain useful.

The underlying red-brown and blue design retains the crowned double-headed eagle, visibly linking the old Imperial issue with its new postal valuation.