Z (military symbol)

"Z symbol" redirects here. For other uses, see Z (disambiguation).
"Zwastika" redirects here. For swastika, see Swastika (disambiguation).

"Z" symbol
"Z" symbol
"Z" symbol (enclosed in square)
"Z" symbol (enclosed in a square)
"V" symbol
"V" symbol
"O" symbol
"O" symbol
Symbols used on Russian military vehicles during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Latin-script letter Z (Russian: зет, romanized: zet, IPA: [zɛt]) is one of several symbols (including "V" and "O") painted on military vehicles of the Russian Armed Forces involved in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is speculated that the Z helps distinguish task forces from one another and serves as an identifier to avoid friendly fire;[1][2] however, Russian officials have claimed various meanings for the symbol.

Due to its association with the war in Ukraine, the Z has become a militarist symbol in Russian propaganda and is used by Russian civilians to indicate support for the invasion,[9] further adopted later by Russian far-right organizations.[10][additional citation(s) needed] The symbol has subsequently been banned from public display in various countries, and its use has been criminalized by several European governments. Opponents of the war have pejoratively called the Z symbol a zwastika or zwaztika, in reference to the Nazi swastika,[16] or derisively in Russian and Ukrainian as ziga (Russian: зига), in reference to Sieg Heil.[20] Some Ukrainian officials and Internet users have referred to Russia as Ruzzia or RuZZia (Russian: Роzzия or РоZZия; Ukrainian: Роzzія or РоZZія),[25] replacing the letter S with a Z in reference to the military symbol.

  1. ^ Dean, Jeff (9 March 2022). "The letter Z is becoming a symbol of Russia's war in Ukraine. But what does it mean?". NPR. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  2. ^ Schogol, Jeff (24 February 2022). "Here's what those mysterious white 'Z' markings on Russian military equipment may mean". Task & Purpose. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  3. ^ Shah, Simmone (9 March 2022). "How 'Z' Fits Into the History of Russian Propaganda Efforts". Time. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  4. ^ Butterfield, Michelle (8 March 2022). "How the letter 'Z' became a powerful Russian propaganda tool". Global News. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  5. ^ Ahmadi, Ali Abbas (8 March 2022). "The meaning of 'Z': Putin's propaganda campaign to garner support for Russia's brutal invasion". The New Arab. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  6. ^ "What do Russians see and hear about the war in Ukraine?". CBS News. 10 March 2022. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Staalesen 7 March was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sheets 8 March was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ [3][4][5][6][7][8]
  10. ^ Marandici, Ion (1 December 2023). "Z-Propaganda and Semiotic Resistance: Contesting Russia's War Symbols in Moldova and Beyond". Comparative Southeast European Studies. 71 (4): 585–616. doi:10.1515/soeu-2023-0024. ISSN 2701-8202.
  11. ^ "Ocado to redesign Zoom logo after it draws 'Zwastika' comparisons". The Guardian. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  12. ^ Motley, Theodora (29 March 2022). "Rusijos dėka blogas metas pradėti verslą su raide "Z"". kriptovaliutos (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  13. ^ "Litera Z pe morminte ale soldaților ruși din Iași". Cotidianul RO (in Romanian). 21 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  14. ^ "Войната на Путин е трагедия и за руския народ". Investor.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  15. ^ Boboltz, Sara (10 March 2022). "Why Is The Letter 'Z' On All Those Russian Tanks?". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  16. ^ [11][12][13][14][15]
  17. ^ Open Democracy. "DOXA trial". Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  18. ^ Anna Schor-Tschudnowskaja. "Russlands tiefe Leere – Wladimir Putin hat einen Autoritarismus erschaffen, der mit zynischem Nihilismus und nicht mit der Aussicht auf eine bessere Zukunft wuchert". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  19. ^ serjtikhonov. Про тайный смысл буквы Z (in Russian). Retrieved 22 May 2022.[dead link‍]
  20. ^ [17][18][19]
  21. ^ Kurpita, Tatiana (30 March 2022). "В Днепре российские оккупанты нанесли ракетный удар" (in Russian). Television Service of News.
  22. ^ Daga, Serhiy (28 March 2022). "роZZия меняет стратегию: что ждет Украину в ближайшее время". Bagnet (in Russian).
  23. ^ Loiacono, Francesco (26 March 2022). "La tiktoker ucraina Valerish incontra il sindaco Sala: "Grazie all'Italia e a chi ci aiuta"". Fanpage.it (in Italian).
  24. ^ Cooke, Millie (8 June 2022). "'No shame!' Olaf Scholz sensationally claims Germany gives MORE support to Ukraine than UK". Daily Express.
  25. ^ [21][22][23][24]