The letter “Z” is a symbol of the intervention of Russian troops in Ukraine. It has been seen on tanks, rocket launchers, social media profiles and even shop windows since February when the armed conflict began.
Its purpose is not officially clear. There are those who point out that this could be a way to thwart attacks by opponents or even allies. The signal was to serve to separate friendly troops from enemy troops. The marking would thus prevent the cars from being attacked, but on the other hand make them easier to identify.
Another explanation is that cars with the “Z” symbol are the ones ready to attack, according to Ukrainian news portal The Sun.
One of the strongest lines is that it will be the first letter of the surname of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which is the target of the Russians.
According to local media, there is information that the sign means “Zapad” (west), referring to the forces of the western military district. Also popular is the phrase “Za Pobedu” meaning “For Victory”.
On the official Instagram and Telegram pages of the Russian Ministry of Defense, messages beginning with symbols such as “Za Pobedu” (For Victory), “Za Mir” (For Peace), “Za Pravdu” (For Truth) and ” Za Rossiyu ” (for Russia).
There is published content praising the words “disarm” and “denaZification” in capital letters. The idea is to highlight precisely the reasons President Vladimir Putin offered for invading Ukraine.
Putin’s swastika
According to the Sky News TV channel, there is a similarity between the “Z” and the swastika used by Adolf Hitler, the Nazi dictatorship in Germany. This has even led many to call it ‘Putin’s swastika’.
Ruslan Leviev of the Conflict Intelligence Team research group explained on Twitter that this theory seems the most plausible. Like Ukraine, Russia uses weapons from the days of the Soviet Union.
20-year-old gymnast Ivan Kuliak, a supporter of Kremlin intervention troops, has been subject to disciplinary action by the International Gymnastics Federation for showing the letter “Z” on the World Cup podium in Doha, Qatar.
On the right side of the Russian athlete, who won the bronze medal, was the Ukrainian who won the gold medal.
Image: Reproduction
location symbols
These symbols are often location-based, said Michael Clarke, a defense analyst and professor at King’s College London, in an interview with Sky News. “They’re probably signals that tell you which units are heading northeast or northwest of an area.”
Russian analyst Rob Lee’s theory says that the “Z” describes “different task forces or echelons.” Former field intelligence officer David Kime said some military sources believe the “Z” represents the “point of no return.”
The state-owned news network Russia Today even sold T-shirts with the “Z” symbol. Media outlets suggested that the markings could only indicate the composition of the crew and the type of military equipment on them. The letter does not appear in the Russian alphabet and actually looks like the Cyrillic number 3.
source: Noticias
[author_name]
