Pro-Putin politicians and influential people wear “Z” clothes, which are seen on Russian military vehicles, to show support for the invasion of Ukraine.
- Insignia has been spotted on Russian tanks and military vehicles coming to Ukraine
- He became a symbol of the invasion, selling “Z” goods.
- The proceeds are supposed to go to charity that supports “children of war”
- Russian lawmaker Maria Butina was seen wearing a Z-shirt with her colleagues this week
Pro-Putin politicians, activists and influential people have been spotted wearing Z-shaped clothes and badges to show their support for invasion of Ukraine.
The insignia, which are in Latin, have been seen on Russian tanks and military vehicles coming to Ukraine and becoming a symbol of the invasion.
The product “Z” is sold by Russia todaythe Kremlin-funded television channel.
The proceeds are expected to go to a charity that supports “children of war.”
The T-shirts, which are unisex, sell for 1,190 rubles (£ 8).
Russian lawmaker Maria Butina, who was convicted in the United States in 2018 of acting as a foreign agent, posted a photo of herself and her colleagues wearing “Z” T-shirts this week.
The photo is with the caption: “The team in support of our army and president! Let’s get to work guys!
Russian lawmaker Maria Butina (second from left), who was convicted in the United States in 2018 for acting as a foreign agent, posted a photo of her and her colleagues in “Z” T-shirts this week.
The sign, which is in Latin, is seen on Russian tanks and military vehicles coming to Ukraine and has become a symbol of the invasion
The Z goods are being sold by Russia Today, a Kremlin-funded television channel. In the photo: “Z” can be seen on a Russian military car
Politician Mikhail Delyagin wore a badge at a State Duma or parliament meeting decorated with a “Z”.
At the meeting, the government approved draconian new laws.
Mr Delyagin said in a statement: “We are at war now. Yes, we have a special operation in Ukraine, but we have a war with the West.
This comes as the Russian invasion of Ukraine intensifies, with forces destroying the port city of Mariupol and taking over Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
There are fears that there may be about 100 people buried in the rubble after a rocket attack on an apartment in the town of Boradyanka, 30 miles from Kyiv.
And photos from Irpen, located on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv, confirm significant damage to densely populated civilian areas, with piles of rubble, twisted metal and burnt cars stretching into the distance.
Pictured: Graphics showing Russian military markings.
Pictured: A board in support of the Russian armed forces is on display in St. Petersburg
A Ukrainian soldier is depicted rescuing a small baby from a scene of total devastation in Irpen, including what looked like a bombed-out bridge, in a harrowing photo that summarizes the atrocities of the ongoing war.
Other photos show a devastated woman looking emotional as she passes a burning house after the city of Irpen came under massive shelling.
Elsewhere in the northwestern city of Zhytomyr on Friday, scenes of destruction were observed after it was hit by shelling that left a school building completely destroyed.
But a misguided Vladimir Putin has reiterated that Russia is not bombing Ukrainian cities, despite fears that 100 people have been buried under the rubble of a block of flats near Kyiv and a cluster bomb attack on the city of Chernihiv that killed 49 people.
Kyiv says Russia has already lost about 9,200 people in the fighting, along with hundreds of tanks, nearly 1,000 armored vehicles and dozens of helicopters and planes.
Preparations for the capital’s defense have been stepped up by Ukrainian attacks on a convoy of Russian military vehicles that stopped 20 miles from Kyiv.
Scenes of destruction were observed throughout Ukraine, with houses set on fire and shelled by Russian forces.