It is tagged on combat tanks, but also tattooed on the body of Russian athletes… since the beginning of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, the letter “Z” is everywhere in the Russian public space. If several theories exist on its meaning, one thing is certain: it is a symbol of support for the Russian army, the appearance of which crystallizes passions, for or against.
Distinguish from Ukrainian tanks
The “Z”, a Latin letter, not a Cyrillic one, first surfaced as a paint on Russian armor advancing towards or into Ukraine, possibly to distinguish them from similar Ukrainian equipment and avoid friendly fire.
But the sign of recognition quickly became a symbol, spreading on cars in the streets of Moscow, on clothes or on the profiles of Russians on social networks. And the authorities seem to want to encourage the phenomenon. On its Instagram and Telegram pages, the Russian Ministry of Defense declines the letter in several messages: “Za Pobedu” (“for victory”), “Za Mir” (“for peace”), “Za pravdu” (“ for the truth”), “Za Rossiïou” (“for Russia”).
Local media also published a photo taken from the sky of about sixty sick children, their families and caregivers forming a “Z” in the snowy courtyard of their hospice located in Kazan, Tatarstan.
A few days later, 20-year-old Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak stepped onto the third step of the Gymnastics World Cup podium in Doha, Qatar, with a “Z” affixed to his chest. Beside, on the first step, a Ukrainian athlete. The International Gymnastics Federation responded by calling for “the opening of disciplinary proceedings against Kuliak for his shocking behavior”.
As an athlete, I will always fight for victory and play for peace
The young athlete for his part declared to the Russian media that if I had to do it again “I would do the same thing”: “I saw it worn by our soldiers and I looked at what the symbol meant. (…) I wanted to show my position. As an athlete, I will always fight for victory and I will play for peace”.
The first letter of the Russian word “Zapad” or the reference to Zelensky
Among the theories on the meaning of the “Z”, there is also the very prosaic possibility that it is the first letter of the word “zapad”, which means “west” in Russian, in reference to the armed forces of the Western district. from the country.
Finally, some also noted that it was the first letter of the name of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Be that as it may, from politicians to celebrities, including certain influencers, everyone wants to show off with their “Z”, which has become a symbol of allegiance to the Kremlin.
Roskomnadzor, the policeman of the Russian media, thus capitalized the “Z” in his name on Telegram.
In many Russian regions, including remote ones, flash mobs and other demonstrations of support have multiplied under the slogan “We do not abandon ours”, with also women’s choirs singing with a “Z” on the chest, taxis displaying the “Z” in their windows or cars parked in the shape of a “Z”.
A resident of Donetsk, a city in the pro-Russian separatist east of Ukraine, also posted on Instagram a photo of her fingernails painted black with a white “Z”. And in Barnaoul (south), a huge “Z” was unfolded on the snow, in the orange and brown colors of the Saint-Georges ribbon, a symbol of military valor.
Industrious minds have also sniffed out the right vein and “Z” t-shirts are now being sold online. In the camp of opponents of the military intervention, the symbols are less visible in the public space, even if small demonstrations take place daily despite the ban.
Pacifist slogans are sometimes painted on walls in Moscow. But they are quickly erased.