Many of you are wondering about the meaning of having the letter Z on Russian tanks. This letter did indeed appear on military equipment as well as in public space in Russia. If there are several theories about its meaning, then one thing is certain: it is a symbol of support for the Russian army, the appearance of which crystallizes passions.
The letter Z, a Latin letter rather than a Cyrillic alphabet, first appeared on Russian armored vehicles advancing into Ukraine or inland, perhaps to distinguish them from similar Ukrainian vehicles. But this sign of recognizability quickly became a symbol, spreading to cars on the streets of Moscow, to clothes or to Russians’ social media profiles. And the authorities seem to want to encourage this phenomenon. On its Instagram and Telegram pages, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation rejected the letter in several messages: “For victory” (“for victory”), “For peace” (“for peace”), “For truth” (“for truth”). ”), “For Russia” (“For Russia”).
Local media also published a photo taken from the sky, where about sixty sick children, their families and caregivers form the letter Z in the snowy courtyard of their hospice located in Kazan, Tatarstan. A few days later, 20-year-old Russian gymnast Ivan Kulyak stepped onto the third step of the podium at the Gymnastics World Cup in Doha, Qatar, with the letter Z fixed on his chest. Nearby, on the first step, is a Ukrainian athlete.
Among the theories about the meaning of Z is the very prosaic possibility that this is the first letter of the word “zapad”, which means “west” in Russian, in relation to the armed forces of the country’s western district. Finally, some also pointed out that this is the first letter of the name of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In any case, from politicians to celebrities, including some influencers, everyone wants to show off their Z, which has become a symbol of loyalty to the Kremlin. Roskomnadzor, the police officer of the Russian media, wrote this with a capital Z in his name on Telegram.
In many regions of Russia, including remote ones, flash mobs and other demonstrations of support under the slogan “We don’t leave our own” have become more frequent, for example, women’s choirs sing with the letter Z on their chests, taxi windows with the letter Z or parked cars in the shape of the letter Z.