THE CONDEMNATION OF Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak over the weekend for his decision to display the letter ‘Z’ on his leotard on a podium in Doha was just about matched by speculation about what the symbol actually meant.
The International Gymnastics Federation has confirmed it will initiate disciplinary proceedings against Kuliak over his use of the letter, which he has since revealed was a mark of support for his country’s military and the invasion of Ukraine.
“I saw it on our military and looked at what this symbol means. It turned out to be “for victory” and “for peace”,” he said today.
“I just wanted to show my position. As an athlete, I will always fight for victory and play for peace.”
Kuliak was not the first to don the symbol: in recent weeks, it has featured on clothing worn by people taking part in pro-Russia flashmobs, as well as on cars, businesses, people’s social media accounts, billboards and apartment blocks in the country.
The governor of the Kuzbass region in Siberia announced that the area will now be spelled as KuZbass, while images emerged yesterday of terminally ill children in the city of Kazan standing outside a hospice in the shape of the letter.
Even Russia’s defence ministry has joined in, sharing images with a ‘Z’ in them alongside the phrases like За победу (meaning ‘for victory’).
But despite its widespread use, the original meaning of the letter is unclear.
The letter Z does not exist in the Cyrillic Russian alphabet, where З is the closest corresponding letter.
It was one of several symbols spotted by experts on Russian military vehicles before and during the invasion of Ukraine (though this is nothing new; the letter was also spotted on Russian vehicles during the Syrian civil war and during the annexation of Crimea).
Other letters have also been spotted on Russian units too, including ‘V’, but ‘Z’ has become most widely used as a symbol among ordinary people.
The most popular theories suggest that the letter was initially used to mark the area (west) where Russian troops were stationed, though there are others who say it was placed on Russian military vehicles to avoid them being fired on by their own troops.
US-based researcher Kamil Galeev, who has tracked the use of the symbol on Twitter among ordinary Russians and Russian supporters in other countries, is one of those who has attempted to explain its origins.
“Some interpret ‘Z’ as [the Russian phrase] ‘Za pobedy’ (for victory). Others – as ‘Zapad’ (West),” he said.
“Anyway, this symbol invented just a few days ago became a symbol of new Russian ideology and national identity.”
Regardless of its original meaning, the popular use of the symbol among those who support Russia has coincided with the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Days after the Russian invasion, the state-controlled TV network Russia Today began selling ‘Z’ merchandise to support the invasion of Ukraine, including t-shirts and hoodies, saying the proceeds would go to ‘refugees’ from the eastern Donbas region.
Since then, pro-government videos containing the symbol have been shared on social media, which feature expressions of support for Russia’s armed forces.
Anton Demidov, a Russian nationalist activist who The Wall Street Journal reports has appeared in one such video, captures the popularity of the letter among the country’s supporters.
“The symbol is not important,” he is quoted as saying. “What’s important is what position it represents, and that is that we understand we need to back our president and our army in their difficult task.”
Naturally, Ukrainians view the use of the symbol differently and some prominent figures have utilised it to talk down Russia’s attacks.
In a tweet yesterday, the country’s defence minister conflated the symbol with the swastika and Nazi Germany’s concentration camps.
🇷🇺occupiers with nazi marks.”Z”,which the 🇷🇺use on their technique,is quite well known. At 1943 near the conccamp Sachsenhausen was a station Z where mass murders were committed. It contained a special device for firing shots in the back,gas chamber.This is what it is-the 🇷🇺world pic.twitter.com/ZWGyGSQD0M
— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) March 7, 2022
Within Russia, the letter has also apparently been used to intimidate opponents of the war: a member of the group Pussy Riot, a well-known film critic and an anti-war NGO based in the country have all claimed to have had a ‘Z’ painted on properties they own.
As of now, there have a limited number of high-profile reports of ‘Z’ being used to support the invasion outside of Russia. But given its quick rise to prominence, Kuliak may not be the last figure to be publicly reprimanded for doing so.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say