The ruble or rouble (/ˈruːbəl/; Russian: рубль; IPA: [rublʲ]) is or was a currency unit of a number of countries in Eastern Europe closely associated with the economy of Russia. Originally, the ruble was the currency unit of Imperial Russia, and it is currently the currency unit of Belarus, Transnistria, and Russia (including several territories with Russian military presence: Crimea, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia), though each nation's ruble is a distinct currency.