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In this author’s opinion, there are probably no other symbols that to this day can evoke more intense emotions — anger, fear, horror and sorrow — than the Nazi Swastika and the Yellow “Jude” Star.
Another symbol may soon be added to this short, infamous list.
We have all noticed the Z-shaped letter or symbol emblazoned on the sides of Russian tanks, armored vehicles and military hardware as the Russian army began its invasion of Ukraine.
Since then, the letter “Z”, or the symbol Z, has been seen on and off the battlefield: in Ukraine and in Russia and even in other countries. While there may be several reasons and purposes for the use of the Z symbol, it has now become a symbol for Putin’s war.
In Qatar, at a gymnastic World-Cup competition, Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak sported a Z prominently on his shirt while on the medal ceremony podium. He is now facing disciplinary action, as the letter has become widely seen as a symbol of support for the Russian invasion.
In Serbia, thousands of Serbs waving Russian flags and carrying Z letters marched through Belgrade to the Russian embassy in a show of public support for Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine.
In Russia the symbol is everywhere. It is displayed on billboards in several major Russian cities and it is spray painted on buildings, bus stops, etc.
Merchandise and articles of clothing – including jackets, T-shirts and hoodies — bearing the symbol are sold in many places.
There are Z stickers on the backs of cars and commercial vehicles. Officials in several Russian regions are pledging to include the letter Z in the names of their region in support for the war.
In the Russian city of Kazan, sick children at a cancer hospice were apparently forced to stand outside in the snow in a “Z” formation to show their (alleged) support for the invasion.
The symbol is propagating through social media and is being used by some Russian companies and even by the Russian Ministry of Defense as logos or avatars.
Reportedly, and more sinisterly, it has also been used as a threat tactic and for intimidation purposes against those who oppose the war.
There are several theories as to the origin, the meaning and the purpose of the symbol.
There are even different opinions on whether it is a letter since the letter “Z” does not exist in the Cyrillic alphabet.
If it is indeed a letter, some suggest that the letter may stand for the word zapad, which means “west” (where the Russian troops were stationed), or for Za, the first word in the Russian phrase “Za pobedu (“For victory “), or that it stands for Zelenskyy, the ultimate target.
As to its purpose, the letter or symbol Z could designate the military group where the weapons or vehicles are assigned, or could just simply be intended to identify friend from foe on a battlefield where a lot of the military hardware is the same or very similar. Other symbols, or letters, such as a “V,” an “X”, an “O” or an “A” have also been seen on Russian armor and are believed to designate special units or forces.
While it may have started as a military symbol, the letter Z has now been deliberately appropriated by the Russian aggressors and has become a unifying symbol of support for the war against Ukraine — a sinister symbol of a new “Russian ideology and national identity.” An ideology that respects no one and no thing – not even a place of worship.
To the free world, it represents Putin’s attempt to subjugate a free, proud people with levels of evil and inhumanity that hark back to the days when another despot brandished the Swastika and the Yellow Star.
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The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer. Preceding republished from The Moderate Voice, with which San Diego Jewish World trades stories under auspices of the San Diego Online News Association.