invasion of Ukraine
“Z” becomes the Russian propaganda symbol
03/08/2022, 3:20 p.m
Trucks or tanks with a “Z” painted on them are a familiar sight in the Russian war against Ukraine. In the meantime, a propaganda narrative has developed from this – which seeks to turn Ukraine into the opposite.
At first, the “Z” only appeared on Russian tanks in Ukraine, but the letter has long since become a symbol of war in Russia. As the Russian Ministry of Defense announced, the character stands for the slogan “For Victory”. Translated into English, the expression is written as “za pobedoy”. However, the letter does not exist in the Cyrillic alphabet, in German it is transcribed as “S”, also to indicate the soft pronunciation.
The “Z” is now emblazoned on many cars in Russia. Workers installed it on a rocket pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. On social media, celebrities also add a capital “Z” to their names. In Russian propaganda videos, young people with the letter on their T-shirts show themselves as supporters of President Vladimir Putin and the “special operation” he ordered against the “neo-Nazis” in the neighboring country.
The Russian gymnast Ivan Kuljak recently caused a scandal when he stuck the “Z” clearly visible on his jersey at the World Cup in Doha – he came third, a Ukrainian won. The world gymnastics association FIG has now initiated disciplinary measures against Kuljak.
“Putin, you’re fucked”
But the “Z” is not the only letter that stands out on Russian military vehicles. “X”, “O” and “A” were also sighted. A “V” was often seen. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, this stands for “The power lies in the truth” – “sila v pravde”, after the English transcription. This is a quote from the popular 2000 Russian film “Brat 2” (Brother).
There was no explanation for the other letters. Ukraine, too, thought early on that it had deciphered the meaning. According to this statement, it is only an indication for Russian units where the respective troop came from. Ukrainian armed forces have long been using the letter for their own purposes, painting Russian tanks that have been rendered ineffective around the “Z” in crude language: “Putinu pizdez” (transcribed in English) – in German something like: “Putin, you’re fucked.”