Photo: Viktor Antonyuk / Sputnik via AP
The letter “Z” all of a sudden seems to be everywhere in Russia amid thewidely denounced invasion of Ukraine, even though the letter doesn’t even exist in the Cyrillic alphabet.
Brands highlighted the letter in logos. Regional officials have evenadded it to place names. Sick children,standing in a crooked lineto form the letter, posed for pictures at a hospice.
It may be an unlikely way for Russians to share a view on the conflict — many of them in support of the fighting — given that the letter doesn’t exist in the Cyrillic alphabet used in the language (its closest version looks more like a 3).
But the symbol has certainly caught on, that much is clear. Some experts said it had the hallmarks of propaganda.
“This is definitely a state-induced meme,” one analysttoldThe New York Times. “There are always people receptive to this kind of message.”
What the “Z” means to those using it is not always consistent, however.
Initially, it was believed to possibly be a marker for military vehicles — emblazoned with other letters and symbols — to avoid friendly fire. Or did it stand forzapad, the Russian word for west, where Russian troops were stationed in preparation for war?
Another theory suggested it stood for the last name of Ukraine’s president,Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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The meaning of the letter came up in a heated exchange between the Ukrainian and Russian ambassadors to the U.N. during a Security Council meeting on Monday, according to theTimes.
When the Ukrainian diplomat suggested “Z” stood forzveri,which means “animals"in Russian, the Russian counterpart insinuated an insult, saying his people understand who the animals really are.
A writer forThe New Yorkerreportsthat Russia’s Defense Ministry said the “Z” could be used to representza,which means “for” in Russian so that when combined with the image of children, the message would be “for the children.”
Written next to a word like “victory,” it’s understood as “for victory,” which is how Russian officials have now explained use of the letter, per theTimes.
Some protesters in Russia, where dissent is a risky pursuit, appeared to follow that last theory while holding signs that saidzachem,according toThe Guardian.
In English, the phrase is pointedly interpreted as “for what?”
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Russia’sattack on Ukrainecontinues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades.
With NATO forces massing in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also pledged aid or military support to the resistance. President Zelenskyy called for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.
Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy vowed not to bend.
“Nobody is going to break us, we’re strong, we’re Ukrainians,“he told the European Unionin a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, “Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness.”
source: people.com
