Russian attack The letter Z can now be seen in Russia in clothes, cars and bus stops – What does the symbol inciting national fervor mean?

Abroad|The Russian attack

Russian the nationalist right has taken on the new symbol Z, familiar from Russian vehicles at war on the Ukrainian front, which has been used in far-right demonstrations across the country. The same symbol has been seen in protests in support of Russia by Serbian neo-Nazis, among others.

In recent days, the emblem has become more widespread in Russia, in the same way that the black-and-orange George Ribbon became the patriotic emblem of the majority after the occupation of Crimea in 2014.

On Saturday, the Z-brand spread to global sports news as a bronze-wielding scaffold in Doha Ivan Kuljak rose to the podium with the letter Z taped to his chest.

Read more: Russian gymnast rose to the podium with the letter Z seen in military vehicles on his chest – “It was definitely his own idea”

In Russia The letter Z has spread to bus stops, billboards, clothing and cars.

The use of the logo reflects a change in Russian propaganda. At the beginning of the Ukrainian invasion, the operation was touted as a “surgical precision” and a special operation. Now the open fervor and national charm seems to be taking up space not only in propaganda but also in the minds of citizens who trust it.

The war-loving letter Z showed off at the bus stop on the roof of a bus stop in St. Petersburg over the weekend. Picture: Reuters

Russian Z-channels operating on social media and especially on Telegram and Instagram use various search terms, the most common of which is svoih ne brosajem that is, “their own are not left”. The emblem was first introduced by the All-Russian People’s Front ONF, which has begun to help its compatriots returning to Russia from abroad in practical difficulties.

President acting as Prime Minister Vladimir Putin founded the People’s Front as early as 2011 to replace the then united ruling party, United Russia, but much has not been heard since. The slogan “Don’t Leave Your Own” is at least as popular in Russia as the Finnish version of “Don’t Leave a Friend” and also appears in fiction, as in the title of a Kazakh war film released three years ago.

Latin The choice of the letter Z as the symbol for military vehicles in Ukraine apparently does not contain any major symbolism. The sign is clear and is thought to mean a word Zapad i.e., referring to the direction of the western invasion. Another explanation is the expression for popedy i.e., “for profit”.

A Russian researcher known for his outspoken statements Kamil Galejev presented the spread of the “Z-ecosystem” on his Twitter account on Sunday and concluded that Russia was “sinking into fascism”.

Films and images from the channels not to be left out may be reminiscent of National Socialist appearances in 1930s Germany.

Russian however, no data have been studied so far on the support for the attack and its intensity. In the January-February polls that preceded the attack, Putin’s militant appearance had boosted support for his actions by several percentage points from last fall’s readings.

In his tweets, Galeyev claims that nationalist Finnish channels are also used in Russia for military intelligence. According to the researcher, pro-Russian people living in Ukraine would share information about the location of the Ukrainian armed forces with the Russian armed forces.

At the same time, the address details of people belonging to Ukrainian volunteer fighters would be mapped out for subsequent retaliation. There is no evidence of these allegations.