![]() ![]() The Russian version, from the Cyrillic alphabet, is more rounded, like a 3.Īfter weeks of speculation about what it meant, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that it came from the preposition “Za,” the first word in the Russian phrase “Za pobedu,” or “For victory.” Oddly for a nationalist symbol, the Z being used is the version from the Latin alphabet. The symbol has also been deployed as a threat: Anton Dolin, a prominent film critic who left Russia over his opposition to the war, posted a picture on Facebook of a giant white Z that someone had spray-painted on his apartment door, which he called an effort at intimidation. The Russian head coach and some fellow Russian gymnasts publicly defended him, even as the sport’s international governing body opened a disciplinary proceeding. On Saturday, for example, the Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak wore a Z on his uniform at a competition in Qatar that also included Ukrainian gymnasts. No doubt some of the displays reflected genuine support. Similar videos have cropped up during previous Kremlin campaigns, the only difference being the addition of the T-shirts.Ĭritics on social media did not miss the opportunity to point out that Hitler mobilized thousands of black-shirted supporters, as well, and some manipulated the letter Z to make it resemble the Nazi swastika. The state-run RT television network also spread the symbol.Īnother video online showed what looked like a youth flash mob in a factory or meeting hall, wearing black T-shirts with a Z and dancing in formation amid a sea of Russian flags. “Do your work, brothers,” she said in an apparent reference to the Russian troops in Ukraine. Now a member of the State Duma, or Parliament, she posted a video of herself drawing a white Z on the lapel of her suit jacket. Maria Butina was deported from the United States in 2019 after being sent to prison for working as an unregistered agent for Russia. The fact that some of the usual suspects lined up added to the sense of government coordination. “There are always people receptive to this kind of message.” He noted that there was a small army of propagandists paid to spread the meme on social media to give it the false appearance of popularity. ![]() “This is definitely a state-induced meme,” said Vasily Gatov, a Russian-American media analyst based in Boston. Russia’s Draft : The Kremlin has acknowledged that its new military draft has been rife with problems - an admission that comes after protests have erupted across Russia, recruitment centers have been attacked and thousands of men leave the country.The fighting is fierce as both Russian and Ukrainian forces race to claim new ground before winter sets in. The Eastern Front: The battle for the critical Donbas region in Ukraine’s east is now centered on two strategically important cities: Lyman and Bakhmut.Nord Stream Pipeline: Explosions under the Baltic Sea and the rupture of major natural gas pipelines from Russia to Germany appeared to be a deliberate attack, European officials said, exposing the vulnerability of the continent’s energy infrastructure.Putin plans to declare that four occupied regions of Ukraine will become part of Russia, an illegal annexation denounced by the West, but a signal that the Russian leader is prepared to raise the stakes in war. Annexation Push: After sham referendums, President Vladimir V.To see it spread among civilians is another matter. Army vehicles used to repulse the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait were painted with a big white chevron, for example. It is not uncommon for vehicles dedicated to a military campaign to display a readily identifiable mark - U.S. George ribbon, which is a symbol of the Russian military. An advertising campaign using billboards in large cities featured a large Z created out of a black and orange ribbon, the St. Some corporate logos and newspaper names that contained a Z manipulated the letter to highlight it. There are Z stickers on the backs of cars and commercial vehicles, and one talk show pundit recently appeared wearing a T-shirt with a large white Z on it. In Russia, the letter then began to pop up all over the place. The “Z” first drew attention several weeks ago when it was painted a couple feet high on the sides of the thousands of tanks, armored personnel carriers and other military vehicles mustering along the Russian border with Ukraine. ![]()
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