Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues. Russia has been trying to control Ukraine for the past 12 days. The Russian army has so far captured some areas near the Russia-Ukraine border. There is a lot of talk of Z sign in the midst of the ongoing war. Ukrainians are seeing this sign as a sign of Russian aggression and Nazi sign.
How did the Z sign become a sign of Russian aggression?
Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliyak is facing disciplinary proceedings by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) for displaying the letter Z on a podium next to a Ukrainian opponent in Qatar. In Russia, the Z sign is being seen as a symbol of staunch support for President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian supporters are using it on hoardings, from social media sites to cars.
But what does the Z sign mean?
Many theories are being given regarding this. The Z sign was first seen on social media when Russian tanks were moving towards Ukraine with Z written on them. It was initially thought that Z was actually a symbol of the number 2. It marks the day that Russia ratified an agreement on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with Donetsk and Luhansk. This date was 22/02/2022. But it is now believed to be a way for the Russian military to identify itself.
Russian state broadcaster Russia Today has been selling T-shirts with the letter Z since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. The word ‘for’ is spelled ‘ja’ in Russian and the Defense Ministry posted on Instagram ‘for peace’, ‘for our people’, ‘for victory’ all using the English letter Z. have done.
It is also reported that the letter Z allegedly symbolically represents ‘victory’ in it. Although there is no such letter in the Russian alphabet, it is being seen as a symbol of victory in the Ukraine war.
What are the Russian people saying?