Summary
Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliyak has been disciplinary action taken by the International Gymnastics Federation for wearing a T-shirt with the letter Z next to Ukrainian rival Ilya Kovtun on a podium in Qatar. His behavior surprised everyone.
The war between Russia and Ukraine continues for the 13th consecutive day. Both the countries are not ready to bow down to each other. Russia is constantly bombing the cities of Ukraine. The Russian army has so far occupied some areas near the Russia-Ukraine border. At the same time, Z sign, which has become very popular in Russia amid the war, is being discussed all over the world. In Russia, the letter is seen as a symbol of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a supporter of the Russian military.
Russian supporters are using it extensively from social media to their cars and billboards. Whereas Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov compared the Z sign to a sign like the swastika of Nazi Germany. He said in a tweet that in 1943 Sachsenhausen near Konkamp was a station Z where mass murders were committed.
When did the Z sign come into use?
According to media reports, Russia attacked Ukraine on 24 February. Since then Putin’s supporters have started using the Z sign, which is not the case in the Russian alphabet. But in Russia it is being used as a symbol of victory in the war and to show solidarity with its army fighting in Ukraine.
What does it mean?
Different things are being said in the media reports regarding this. The Z sign was first seen on social media when Russian tanks headed for Ukraine on February 19 with Z written on them. The letter Z has since become the main symbol of public support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Although it is not clear from which day it actually started being used.
Initially it was believed that Z was the symbol of number 2. It marks the day when Russia declared Ukraine’s two separatist provinces, Donetsk and Luhansk, as independent states. This date was the 22nd of the second month of the year 2022 i.e. 22nd February.
No relation to Zelensky’s name?
An important theory behind the letter Z is that Z may have been used for Japad (Western countries). Several media reports have said that some pro-Kremlin pro-Russian military experts have speculated that the letter Z is alluding to the name of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Although the Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on either theory, it has gradually become a way of garnering support for the Russian military.
Russian nationalist activist Anton Demidov said: “I don’t know where the symbol came from.” But Kremlin supporters saw it on Russian tanks in Ukraine and then started using it.
According to media reports, since February 24, the Russian state broadcaster Russia Today is selling T-shirts with the letter Z. The Ministry of Defense has posted many such nationalist posts on social media in which the letter Z has been used. It is said that in Russian language the word ‘for’ is written as ‘ja’.
People with Z letter flag came out in support of Putin
People carrying a Z letter flag are demonstrating in support of Russia and President Vladimir Putin. A large sign showing a Z with the hashtag ‘we don’t leave ours’ has also been erected on a street in Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city.
According to a photo shared on social media, patients (including children) and staff at a cancer hospice in the city of Kazan stand in line to draw the letter Z in the snow. Several schools have also posted pictures of children standing in Z formations.
Officers eager to show their support for the war have also promised to include the letter in their field names. The head of the Kemerovo region, Sergei Civilev, has announced that he has decided to rename the region and add the letter Z to the region. Russia’s Internet Censor Board, Roskomnadzor, has changed the handle of its Telegram channel to emphasize the letter Z.
It was also used against the critics of the war.
It is being told in media reports that the letter Z is also being used in Russia for critics of the war. For example, film critic Anton Dolin, who criticized Russia’s “assault and war” in a Facebook post and is now living in Latvia, noticed before leaving his house that his apartment door was sprayed with the letter Z- was painted.
Expansion
The war between Russia and Ukraine continues for the 13th consecutive day. Both the countries are not ready to bow down to each other. Russia is constantly bombing the cities of Ukraine. The Russian army has so far occupied some areas near the Russia-Ukraine border. At the same time, Z sign, which has become very popular in Russia amid the war, is being discussed all over the world. In Russia, the letter is seen as a symbol of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a supporter of the Russian military.
Russian supporters are using it extensively from social media to their cars and billboards. Whereas Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov compared the Z sign to a sign like the swastika of Nazi Germany. He said in a tweet that in 1943 Sachsenhausen near Konkamp was a station Z where mass murders were committed.
When did the Z sign come into use?
According to media reports, Russia attacked Ukraine on 24 February. Since then Putin’s supporters have started using the Z sign, which is not the case in the Russian alphabet. But in Russia it is being used as a symbol of victory in the war and to show solidarity with its army fighting in Ukraine.
What does it mean?
Different things are being said in the media reports regarding this. The Z sign was first seen on social media when Russian tanks headed for Ukraine on February 19 with Z written on them. The letter Z has since become the main symbol of public support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Although it is not clear from which day it actually started being used.
Initially it was believed that Z was the symbol of number 2. It marks the day when Russia declared Ukraine’s two separatist provinces, Donetsk and Luhansk, as independent states. This date was the 22nd of the second month of the year 2022 i.e. 22nd February.