The meaning behind the Russian military symbol Z
A new symbolism in support of Russia’s war against Ukraine has appeared – the white “Z” is often stylized to appear as if it were written in thick brush strokes.
The letter, first seen on Russian tanks and military vehicles, was co-opted by pro-war and pro-Putin groups in Russia and has been seen marching on signs and clothing. of those who supported the invasion of Ukraine.
Where did the letter come from?
The symbol “Z”, which does not exist in the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, was first discovered on February 22, “decorated on Russian military vehicles moving to the Donetsk region of Ukraine “, said Insiders.
Some speculate that the symbol, “appearing on tanks framed by squares, triangles, and other painted shapes”, may be a way to identify infants, while others consider it more symbolic.
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Kamil Galeev, a former Galina Starovoitova member of Conflict Resolution and Human Rights at the Wilson consulting center, tweeted that some have interpreted the “Z” to stand for “za pobedy,” which is the English term. Russian means “victory”.
Others say that “Z” describes where the unit will be geographically deployed – the icon could stand for “zapad”, which means “west”, which means the unit could be in West.
According to a Ukrainian source who spoke with SunThe symbols were a way of distinguishing between Ukrainian and Russian forces in order to “avoid friendly fire as the action commenced”.
“It is important to be able to distinguish any striking forces, especially from the air, where Russian forces will have full control. The Ukrainians have very similar types of tanks and vehicles and will want to reduce the risk of friendly fire,” the source told the newspaper.
As the war in Ukraine seemed increasingly “bogged down” and news of the growing number of casualties began to spread RussiaPutin’s supporters “will spend even more time demonstrating their allegiance to the leader and their regime,” said Putin. walkie talkie.
Who is using the icon?
This symbol was first used “coyly” only by a “small number of people” to show their support for Russian soldiers. But it seems to have received “official support” from the Kremlin, helping it to become “mainstream and international”.
In the southwestern Russian city of Kazan, the president of a cancer charity that provides health care to dying children “organized for children and their mothers to line up” Z. “giant in the snow,” the newspaper said. He then took a picture of the stuntman with a drone and posted it on the healthcare institute’s website.
In another development, “hundreds of cars marked with the letter ‘Z’ following convoys around Russia’s main cities were honking flags,” the newspaper reported.
And “two cleverly produced videos” have also appeared on social media channels, which show hundreds of people wearing black sweatshirts with the letter Z “waving flags and shouting in support of Putin and his war” he is in Ukraine”.
Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak had the logo taped to the front of his suit as he stood on the podium next to gold medal winner, Illia Kovtun of Ukraine, at a World event Gymnastics Cup in Doha, Qatar, news Guardians.
“The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) confirms that it will request Gymnastics Ethics to open disciplinary proceedings against Ivan Kuliak following his shocking behavior at the Apparatus World Cup in Doha, Qatar”, a statement from the governing body said.
As of today, all Russian and Belarusian gymnasts are banned from international competition.
https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/world-news/956000/the-meaning-behind-the-z-russian-military-symbol The meaning behind the Russian military symbol Z
