Unveiled the mystery behind the sinister "Z" drawn on Russian tanks in Ukraine

• Direct War in Ukraine

• War in Ukraine The International Gymnastics Federation opens a disciplinary process against an athlete for showing his support for Russia

Images of a "Z" drawn on the long lines of Russian tanks and trucks entering Ukraine have been circulating for days.

Many in the West consider it the sinister sign of the massacre of the Ukrainian people, while in Russia it has become the symbol of the "military operation" that, according to Putin and his followers, aims to "de-Nazify" Ukraine.

"The people's republics of Donbas have approached Russia with a request for help. In connection with that conversation I have made a decision to launch a special military operation. Its goal is to protect people who have been subjected to abuse and genocide by the regime. of Kiev for eight years, and

and bring to justice those who committed numerous bloody crimes against peaceful people, including Russian nationals," Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in a television address the day horror began within Europe.

Some words that seem to have penetrated his followers, who have found their own symbol.

Displaying the "Z" is a patriotic gesture of support for the soldiers and for Putin's decisions

.

There are not only the brave Russians who, by the thousands, from St. Petersburg to Moscow and Novosibirsk, take to the streets and risk years in prison for

.

Russian public opinion is also made up of citizens who believe in Putin's propaganda, and who in these times of war display the "Z" on the rear window of their car, paint it on their truck, or proudly display it on their tracksuit at the time of the awards ceremony.

This last gesture was carried out by the Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak, although he has already been filed for it.

Kuliak competed in the World Cup in Doha last week with a "Z" made of duct tape stuck to the clothes he competed in and covering the Russian flag.

Due to global sanctions against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, athletes were prevented from competing in their national symbols.

Kuliak complied by covering the emblem of his country,

Russian tanks and trucks advancing in Kiev.AFP

That competition was also the scene of the confrontation between Russians and Ukrainians.

It turns out that Kuliak won the bronze medal in parallel, although in that test the Ukrainian Illia Kovtun was the winner.

A coincidence or perhaps an omen.

The fact is that Kuliak went up to the podium with his "Z" made by hand and avoided by all means to greet the winner and even take a picture with him.

This gesture has had its consequences, since the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has filed the Russian and has further fenced athletes from Russia and Belarus (a country that supports the war started by Putin) preventing any of them from participating. in competitions organized by the FIG.

In the first days of the invasion, military experts suggested that the "Z" and also the "V" on the Russian military vehicles in Ukraine were signs of recognition of the battalions that had participated a few weeks earlier in the exercises in Belarus: " Z" stands for Zapad (West) and "V" for Vostok (East).

The most common are "Z", and in Russia that letter is now a sign of support for the troops and the Putin regime.

Many capitalize it within the words, so that it is clearly visible, and T-shirts with the "Z" begin to be sold.

Russian researcher

, who ended up in jail during the 2020 protests and is today at the Wilson Center in Washington, has posted a thread on Twitter about how this symbol is spreading across Russia: a group of threatening militants with Russian flags and black t-shirts with the last letter of the alphabet drawn in white;

cars with "Z" stickers, van with two big "Z"s on the sides;

a large "Z" formed from the insignia seized from dead Ukrainian soldiers;

and even the photo taken from above of children and adults in a children's hospital, arranged to form a large "Z".

Other nobler symbols have emerged from this conflict.

Among them, the yellow ribbon on the arm with which Ukrainian civilians willing to resist for their country are identified or the colors of the Ukrainian flag that circulate throughout the world in different accessories such as bracelets to show solidarity with the people. ukrainian

The song

it is also being chanted in the demonstrations that are multiplying around the globe against the Russian invasion.

A letter attributed to ex-Beatle John Lennon and that was the 'anthem-protest' against the Vietnam War.

Last Friday it sounded in unison on European radio as a sign of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

In MotoGP several riders wore last weekend, in the race held in Qatar, a sticker on their helmets with the motto popularized by Lennon.

The discordant note came from the Chelsea fans, who during the minute of applause for Ukraine last Saturday chanted the name of the owner of the English club: Roman Abramovich (Russian oligarch close to Putin).

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