Russian tank with the letter ‘Z’. /
Several federal states warn of legal consequences for those who hold it in this country
Several German federal states have prohibited public display of the ‘Z’ symbol, the letter inscribed on their bodies on Russian military vehicles taking part in the invasion of Ukraine and with which some people, also in this country, express their support for the army under the command of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Lower Saxony, Bavaria and the city-state of Berlin have declared it illegal and subject to criminal prosecution to display that symbol on public roads. Although the letter “Z” does not exist in the Cyrillic alphabet, it is used by Russian military vehicles in the war against Ukraine, but it can also be seen on private cars in Russia. An appreciation that has also been made in Germany. The Minister of the Interior of Lower Saxony, Boris Pastorius, commented that a certain ostentation of that symbol has also been observed in his region and warned that those who do so from now on must face criminal consequences. “It is completely incomprehensible to me that this stylized ‘Z’ is used here, among us, to justify these crimes, said the Social Democratic politician.
Also the head of Justice of Bavaria, the Christian Socialist Georg Eisenreich, has warned against the use of that letter. “Sympathizers who make use of the ‘Z’ symbol of the Russian armed forces in Bavaria can be prosecuted for condoning their crimes,” said the Bavarian politician. The German federal states refer to article 140 of the German penal code, by which behaviors that imply public approval of offensive warfare and that have the purpose of disturbing the public peace can be punished. Eisenreich also referred to article 13 of the International Criminal Code dealing with “crimes of aggression.” The minister stressed that “we are not willing to accept the approval of crimes that violate international law.”
In Berlin, too, a similar reaction has been made and those who display the “Z” symbol will be persecuted. “At the moment when the context with war is created with the use of the white ‘Z’ that can be seen on Russian military vehicles, an offensive war is being approved. That would be criminally punishable and we plan to intervene immediately, ”said the senator for the Interior of the German capital, the Social Democrat Iris Spranger in statements to the Der Tagesspiegel newspaper today. His colleague in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Christian Democrat Herbert Reul, pointed out in the Rheinischen Post newspaper that Russia’s offensive war in Ukraine is causing “indescribable suffering” and called it “incomprehensible” that there are people in Germany that supports it with the use of the symbol «Z». This, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, symbolizes the slogan “For victory”.