Russian white 'Z' symbol

[AnnieA]

Fell down a interwebs rabbit hole and came across this twitter thread from yesterday, 6 March 2022. In it there's discussion of the white Z seen on Russian military equipment in Ukraine. I noticed it in clips but had no idea that it's a new propaganda symbol. There is no Z in the Cyrillic alphabet and it's newly launched significance in Russia is pro-Putin, Russian nationalism.

Link to first tweet in the sequence:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1500495309595725831

This link is to thread reader which makes reading long twitter threads easier.

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1500495309595725831.html


The author of the twitter thread--Kamil Galeev's bio from LinkedIn Russia. Looks like from his more current bio on the Wilson Center website that he completed his degree at St. Andrews. Also says he's living in Moscow but I hope he's not still there now!

I am currently pursuing my MLitt in Early Modern History at the University of St Andrews as a Chevening Scholar. In July 2019 graduated from the Yenching Academy at Peking University (Beijing) with a M.A. in China Studies and Economics. Before that I received my B.A. in History from the Higher School of Economics (Moscow).​

​

Previously, I worked for the Higher School of Economics and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, doing research on the WWII history for two book publications. Then, I held the position of Project Coordinator in the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, participated in the Project 1917 as a historical journalist and reconstructed the Russian system of national accounts for the 19th c. as Senior Researcher in the RANEPA's project. My most recent employment was with the Center for China and Globalization, a think tank based in Beijing.​

​

In the past few years, I published extensively on problems of Russian and international politics (such as federalism and interethnic relations) and economic policy in various media including Forbes.ru, Republic and the War on the Rocks. Most recently, I contributed 21 articles to Novaya Gazeta, a major oppositional newspaper in Russia.​

 

[Pepper]

Reminds me of "Q" same cultish ad nauseam.

Thank you Annie.

 

[hollydolly]

Children at a hospice were made to stand outside in the snow in the shape of the letter 'Z' to show support for Vladimir Putin's invasion in the Ukraine.

Vladimir Vavilov, the chairman of a cancer charity that runs a hospice for unwell children, organised the shocking pro-war stunt in the city of Kazan, in the Tatarstan region, this weekend.

The insignia, which is Latin script, has become a symbol of the invasion after being seen on Russian tanks and military vehicles coming into Ukraine.

Letter 'Z' merchandise has been sold by Russia Today, the Kremlin-funded TV channel, while Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak is being investigated after he used white injury tape to create a 'Z' letter on his leotard.

In yet another propaganda stunt, Mr Vavilov told children at the hospice and their mothers to stand in the snow to form a giant letter 'Z'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...HOSPICE-stand-snow-shape-Z-support-Putin.html

 

[AnnieA]

Reminds me of "Q" same cultish ad nauseam.

Thank you Annie.

Z is mainstream in Russia in the general population now--not cultish--and they're also painting it on military equipment. I've only ever read references to 'Q' referring to far right extremism ...most Americans would have no clue what a Q meant. Even though I've read about QAnon, if I saw a 'Q' (or whatever it is they use) on t-shirt or car decal, I'd walk by without registering its significance. All Russians now know what a white Z means and a lot of them are displaying it. A Russian gymnast won a bronze medal last week and had to stand next to the Ukrainian gold medal winner. He had a white Z taped to his jersey.