Russia's parliament is on the way to approving a law that would fine goverment officials for saying "dollar" instead of "rouble" when referring to the country's currency.

The impending law caused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov to call the money, "That thing you're not allowed to say."

Ivanov was speaking about a deal to supply fighter jets to Venezuela when he said the deal had "a value of more than one billion of that thing that you are not allowed to say anymore."

The rouble fell out of favor during years of financial hardship, and many Russians began using dollars to quote large amounts of money.

Parliament is instituting the ban in an effort to restore national pride in the currency.