War in Ukraine: How the “Z” became the symbol of support for Russian forces

Russian army trucks marked with the letter Z on March 1, 2022 in the Donetsk region.

REUTERS - ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO

Text by: Pierre Fesnien Follow

5 mins

First appearing painted white on Russian armor entering Ukraine, the letter "Z" has since become a rallying symbol for pro-Russian supporters of the invasion of Ukraine, although its meaning is still disputed.

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Since February 24 and the beginning of the invasion in Ukraine, it is a letter that appears here and there recurrently in the theater of military operations.

Many observers have seen this "Z" painted in white paint on Russian armored vehicles entering Ukraine without being able to determine its exact meaning.

However, it is not uncommon to see such markings on military equipment to help distinguish them better.

The American army, for example, painted chevrons on its tanks during the invasion of Iraq.

This is also one of the first attempts to explain the meaning of this letter "Z".

An anonymous military source told the English tabloid

that it was “ 

 »

The acronym Z painted on bus shelters in Saint Petersburg on March 4, 2022. REUTERS - STAFF

" For victory "

But other letters have also been noticed on Russian tanks such as the "V" and the "O".

According to Michael Clarke, former director of the British think tank RUSI, these symbols could be based on the location and indicate the geographical objective of each unit.

“ 

.

 A supposition supported by the staff of the Ukrainian army, 

 listing the various letters used by the Russian army on its vehicles and the geographical direction which would be associated with them.

Curious about what letter markings on Russian troop vehicles mean?

Ukrainian General Staff has provided a decoder:

Z: Eastern Forces

|Z|

- Crimea Forces

O - Forces from Belarus

V - Naval infratry

X - Kadyrov's Chechens

A - Special Forces (National Guard, FSB, Special Ops) pic.twitter.com/pkbDw01nr3

— Dmitri Alperovitch (@DAlperovitch) March 2, 2022

Other interpretations of these letters have also been put forward.

According to some, they could designate

and the initials of his full name: Volodymyr Oleksandrovytch Zelensky.

But it was ultimately the Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, who put an end to the suspense on Sunday by affirming that this "Z" came from the preposition "Za" which is found in the sentence "Za pobedu" which means "For Victory" in Russian.

The information remains however to be taken with precaution, because the significance of the other letters was not clarified.

The “Z” is spreading in civil society

Still, if the use of "Z" first began in military theatres, it has been spreading for several days in Russian civil society, where many people proudly display this symbol on social networks but also in the public space.

, reports that vehicles with the letter "Z" on their windshields in Russian cities are increasingly common, many are also displayed with T-shirts with the symbol.

Others also add a "Z" in their name on social media to show their support for the war in Ukraine.

It found a lot of supporters.

Many Russians are putting "Z" on their cars - that's totally voluntary and to my best knowledge nobody's forcing them pic.twitter.com/sanIdE1rwE

— Kamil Galeev (@kamilkazani) March 6, 2022

Recently, it was Ivan Kuliak who sparked controversy at the Gymnastics World Cup in Doha.

The Russian gymnast who placed third in the parallel bars event competed with a "Z" displayed on his leotard.

On the podium, he appeared alongside the Ukrainian Ilia Kovtun, gold medalist.

Despite an investigation opened by the International Gymnastics Federation, the 20-year-old athlete received the support of Vassili Titov, the president of the Russian federation.

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) is to open disciplinary proceedings against Russia's Ivan Kuliak, who wore a 'Z' symbol during a medal ceremony.

There was no handshake between the bronze medallist and winner, Illia Kovtun of Ukraine #rtesporthttps://t.co/lbxCvDsJei pic.twitter.com/dnA9EcVhOE

— RTE Sport (@RTEsport) March 7, 2022

A propaganda tool for the Kremlin?

Because this symbol of support for the Russian forces seems to be becoming a real propaganda tool for the Putin regime.

On

and Telegram pages, the Russian Ministry of Defence, Sergei Shoigu, even went so far as to decline the letter in several messages: "Za pobedu" ("for the victory"), "Za mir" ("for the peace”), “Za pravdu” (“for the truth”), “Za rossiïou” (“for Russia”), associated with images revealing a communication campaign aimed at the general public.

Local media also published a photo taken from the sky of about sixty sick children, their families and caregivers forming a "Z" in the snowy courtyard of their hospice located in Kazan, Tatarstan.

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by Минобороны России (@mil_ru)

Maria Butina, who was deported from the United States in 2019 – after being convicted of acts of espionage – symbolizes the dynamic that surrounds this acronym “Z”.

The Instagram feed of this 33-year-old young woman, elected deputy to the Duma in October 2021 under the colors of Putin's party, is filled with photos showing her wearing a black t-shirt with a white "Z" from on February 27, three days after the start of the war.

, still wearing her black t-shirt, she says: “ 

 ".  

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by Мария Бутина (@butina_maria)

The “Z”, which now appears massively in public space, has thus become a symbol of loyalty and allegiance to the Kremlin.

From politicians to celebrities, including some influencers, everyone wants to appear with their "Z".

In a Russian society where freedom of expression and of the press are reduced a little more every day, who knows if not wearing this symbol will not soon be considered a sign of disloyalty to the regime of Vladimir Putin.

A billboard marked with the letter "Z" and the slogan "We do not abandon our people" in support of the Russian army in Saint Petersburg on March 7, 2022. AFP - -

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