The commemorative coin is dedicated to Ivan Fedorov, a prominent figure in the culture of East Slavs, well-known printing pioneer, engineer and inventor, engraver, foundry work master, who produced the first printed books in Ukraine – “Apostol” (Acts and Epistles of the Apostles) in 1574, “Azbuka” (an Alphabet book for East Slavs) in the same year, the Ostroh Bible in 1581.

Ivan Fyodorov, Fedorov or Fedorovych (Russian: Iва́н Федоров, Russian pronunciation: [iˈvan ˈfʲodərəf]) Ioannes Fedorowicz (Latin/Polish) (born around 1510, died December 14, 1583 in Lviv), was one of the fathers (the other being Francysk Skaryna) of Eastern Slavonic printing. He was also a master cannon maker and the inventor of a multibarreled mortar.

Fedorovych graduated from Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland in 1532 with a bachelor's degree where he was known as Johannes Theodori Moscus ("musk-ox" in Latin). In 1564–5 he moved to Moscow (where he was known as Fyodorov) to take up an appointment as a deacon in the church of Saint Nicolas (Gostunsky) in the Moscow Kremlin. Together with P. Mstsislavets he published several liturgical works in Church Slavonic using movable type. This technical innovation created competition for the Muscovite scribes, who began to persecute Fyodorov and Mstsislavets finally forcing them to flee to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania after their printing wokshop was arsoned (as related by Giles Fletcher in 1591). There they were received by the Great Lithuanian Hetman Hrehory Chodkiewicz at his estate in Zabłudów (northern Podlachia), where they published Ievanheliie uchytel’noie (, 1569) (see Zabłudów Gospel) and Psaltyr’ (Psalter, 1570). In Zabłudów, Fedorov changed his surname back to Fedorovych.

He moved to Lviv in 1572 and resumed his work as a printer the following year at the Saint Onuphrius Monastery. (Fedorovych's tombstone in Lviv is inscribed with "renewed neglected printing".) In 1574 Fedorovych, with the help of his son and Hryn Ivanovych of Zabłudów published the second edition of the Apostolos (originally published in Moscow), with an autobiographical epilogue, and Azbuka (Alphabet book).

In 1575 Fedorovych, in the service of Prince Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski, was placed in charge of the Derman Monastery; in 1577–9 he established the Ostrog Press, where, in 1581, he published the Ostrog Bible - the first full version of the Bible printed in movable type and a number of other books. Fedorovych returned to Lviv after a quarrel with Prince Konstanty Ostrogski, but his attempt to reopen his printing shop was unsuccessful. His printery became the property of the Lviv Dormition Brotherhood (later the Stauropegion Institute). The brotherhood used Fedorovych's original designs until the early 19th century. In 1583 he visited Vienna and Kraków where he showed the Emperor his latest inventions.

He was buried in Lviv on the grounds of the Saint Onuphrius Monastery.