‘Z’ became a symbol for the Russians who supported the invasion of Ukraine; Critics say it resembles Hitler’s swastika
New York Times
Author: Neil McFarquhar
The letter ‘Z’ has become a symbol for Russians who support the invasion of Ukraine: The letter ‘Z’ first caught the attention several weeks ago when thousands of tanks, military vehicles and other military vehicles piled up on the Russian border with Ukraine were drawn two feet high on the sides.
In Russia, this writing began to spread everywhere. Z stickers began to appear on the backs of cars and commercial vehicles. And more recently a talk show host wore a T-shirt with a large white Z on it.
Some corporate logos and newspaper names have the letter Z, which they use to spell themselves out. A large Z was created from a black and orange ribbon of the St. George ribbon, the emblem of the Russian military, in billboards using billboards in large cities.
It is not uncommon for vehicles dedicated to a military campaign to show an immediately recognizable sign. For example, US military vehicles used to thwart the invasion of Iraq by Kuwait were painted with a large white chevron (striped stripe representing the rank of a soldier). The spread of these logos among the general public is a different matter.
The “Z” letter campaign spread, leading many to conclude that it was a deliberate attempt by Russia to drum up support for the war, which was similar to many previous attempts. It came with a hashtag like the slogans of past wars: “We will not give up what we own.” (Like players)
Vasily Gadov, a Boston-based Russian-American media analyst, said: “This is definitely a government-sponsored monument. “People always accept news like this.” He noted that a small number of campaigners paid to spread the memes on social media and give the false impression of being popular.
The fact that some of the regular suspects come to the fore in a row shows the government’s sense of cohesion.
Maria Putina was deported from the United States in 2019 after being jailed for working as an unregistered agent for Russia. He, now a member of the State Duma or Member of Parliament, released a video of himself drawing white Z on his suit jacket.
“Do your work, brethren.” “We will always support you.” He said in an open reference to Russian troops in Ukraine.
The state-run RT television network also spread the logo.
Another video online was like a flash mob of young people in a factory or meeting hall, wearing black T-shirts with the letter Z and dancing in the middle of a sea of Russian flags. Similar videos have come up during previous Kremlin House campaigns, the only difference being the addition of T-shirts.
Also read: If Ukraine agrees to the terms, the war will end in a moment – Russia
Critics on social media pointed out that Hitler had rallied thousands of black-shirt supporters, and some said the letter Z looked like a Nazi swastika.
There is no doubt that some of the scenes reflected real support. For example, on Saturday, Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliac wore a Z in his uniform at a competition attended by Ukrainian gymnasts in Qatar. Despite the disciplinary action taken by the international governing body of the sport, the Russian coach and some fellow Russian gymnasts publicly supported him.
Anton Dolin, a leading film critic who fled Russia in protest of the war, claiming that the symbol was also used as a threat, posted on Facebook a picture of a giant white Z painted by someone on the door of his apartment. That intimidation is an attempt.
Oddly enough, Z is a version of the Latin alphabet, a national symbol. The Russian version, from the Cyrillic alphabet, is rounded like 3.
After weeks of speculation about what this means, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that it was derived from the first word of the Russian phrase “Ja popet”, “for victory”.
That explanation seemed to provoke a sharp uproar in the UN Security Council on Monday, where Ukrainian ambassador Sergei Kislytsya said that “Z” actually means “zveri”, which in Russian means animals or animals. Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia responded that the Russians had their own opinion on who the animals were.
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