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Pedestrians cross a street in front of a billboard displaying the symbol "Z" in the colours of the ribbon of Saint George and a slogan reading: "We don't give up on our people", in support of the Russian armed forces, in Saint Petersburg, on March 7, 2022.
The Russia Z symbol was emblazoned on equipment used by the forces sent in by Vladimir Putin to free Donbas and Lugansk.
Its significance has perplexed Western observers, becoming a symbol for Russians. Sighting of the Z was speculated, and some called it ominous, but its meaning is relatively unknown until now.
New Russian Symbol
President Vladimir Putin used the symbol to unite his supporters and the army in the blitzkrieg of Kyiv. Tanks of the ground army are threatening enough, and some have placed the unknown symbol well before the Ukraine invasion, the Express reported.
It was not hard to miss, but it caused massive speculation why Putin chose this moniker that has caught on nationalistic Russians.
The interpretation of the phenomena posted on social media, Galina Starovoitova Fellow Kamil Galeev, says it's a code for all the military hardware that would be going to war in Ukraine. Speculations say that Z means Za pobedy or for victory. Some say it means Zapad or West, based on the reports.
Russians have accepted in just a few days, and supporters would call it the new Russian ideology and a modern rallying point for nationalist endeavors. The West calls it bizarre, but it's no different from symbols associated with ideals.
Russians Supporters Uses the 'Z' Symbol
According to Professor Michael Clarke, ex-director of defense think tank Rusi, who spoke to Sky News about it. He explained the Russian Z symbol also doubles as markers where they are headed, one look they know the destination, cited The World News.
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It said at a glance they were Russian to who knows what it means, and one sign or code would do. He added that different symbols would reveal more likely signs designated where units are headed to the northeast or northwest of a district.
But other symbols are indicative of support for Putin's forces. Another is a triangle with dual lines on the sides, a circle with three dots, and a big triangle with a smaller triangle inside it, noted Democratic Underground.
Galeev said it was symbology that connects the action for the Russian Orthodox Church. But he added that the attacks like shelling and bombing, hitting cities with ICBMs in Ukraine, are Orthodoxy.
One argument is that the Russian people are against President Putin, and it's all on him, which is the same rhetoric of western propaganda sources.
Blaming the decision to roll over the border on Vladimir Putin and never consulting his ministers, he enjoys Russian support with the same sentiments. People are all for it, despite how the West allegedly twists media.
He added that supporters who want the army to conquer Ukraine are identifiable in their accounts on social media by adding a Z to their profiles. Galeev was dismissive of this support, taking the western line.
A practical reason for using the Z symbol is to know friends or foes and avoid getting friendly fire amongst equipment of the former Soviet army. The Kremlin will not allow the Ukrainians to sow confusion in the troops with the same tanks.
The Z symbol is not part of the Soviet alphabet, but this symbol is only one of many used throughout military history like the Swastika, which Moscow defeated at a high price.
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