Posted on 03/07/2022 6:08:53 AM PST by Red Badger
In the days before Russia’s all out invasion, white Z’s started showing up on Russian military hardware. Now they are everywhere.
What started out as curious markings slapped in white paint on Russian tanks and trucks has now become a symbol of Vladimir Putin’s own version of World War Z.
Now, the “Z” has become akin to a new “swastika” or symbol of hatred and is showing up everywhere supporters of Russia’s uninvited invasion of Ukraine can be found.
Kamil Galeev, a Galina Starovoitova Fellow at Woodrow Wilson Center, has been curating examples of the creepy character’s use on Twitter. “‘Z’ is a letter that Russian Military are putting on their vehicles departing to Ukraine. Some interpret ‘Z’ as ‘Za pobedy’ (for victory). Others - as ‘Zapad’ (West). Anyway, this symbol invented just a few days ago became a symbol of new Russian ideology and national identity,” he tweeted before the invasion. Now Galeev believes the symbol means Putin has taken a page out of the world’s worst tyrants, including Benito Mussolini. “To put it simply, it’s going full fascist,” he tweeted. “Authorities launched a propaganda campaign to gain popular support for their invasion of Ukraine and they're getting lots of it.”
Let's discuss what's happening in Russia. To put it simply, it's going full fascist. Authorities launched a propaganda campaign to gain popular support for their invasion of Ukraine and they're getting lots of it. You can see "Z" on these guys' clothes. What does it mean? 🧵 pic.twitter.com/F2zjcpJCDZ
— Kamil Galeev (@kamilkazani) March 6, 2022 Indeed, the symbol, which is likely not directly tied to Mussolini’s fasces symbol which also sported a “Z” any more than it is a reference to the 2013 Brad Pitt film “World War Z” which premiered at the Moscow film festival that year—though it could be argued that Russian troops are not so different from the zombie invasion the film is based on.
But it certainly is gaining popular appeal. Over the weekend Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak was seen wearing a white “Z” on his leotard as he stood next to Ukraine’s Kovtun Illia, who had just won the gold in the Gymnastics World Cup event in Doha.
Business owners put "Z" - showing their support of invasion on their trucks. Here you see a funeral service fully endorsing Z message pic.twitter.com/NM43dO1SrZ
— Kamil Galeev (@kamilkazani) March 6, 2022 Severely ill Russian children at a cancer center in the city of Kazan were reportedly made to line up in the “Z” formation for a photograph that has been widely distributed in social media. The badges of dead Ukrainian soldiers have also been photographed lined up in the “Z” formation, and the letter has shown up on flags, on trucks, and in convoys of supposed supporters of Putin’s war.
Here you see terminally ill children from hospice and their parents making a Z formation. Yes, Russians are forcing terminally ill children dying from cancer, and their families to declare their support to Russian invasion of Ukraine. See letters Детский хоспис? Hospice for Kids pic.twitter.com/3yeHMPWXl0
— Kamil Galeev (@kamilkazani) March 6, 2022 There is even a video of Russian spy Marina Butina, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to conspiracy to act as a foreign agent, drawing one on the lapel of her jacket.
It is difficult to say if the letter, which may have been first used to simply identify Russian military hardware to distinguish them from Ukrainian machines, has any other hidden meaning. The letter “Z” does not exist in Cyrillic Russian script, but it has now become the most prominent symbol of Russia’s senseless war.
(In 2014) German TV Shows Nazi Symbols on Helmets of Ukraine Soldiers
The only Nazis fighting in Ukraine are on the Ukraine side.
Here’s an article estimating their number to be 17,000.
https://time.com/5926750/azov-far-right-movement-facebook/
Barbie needs to get back in the box.
The Great Nazi War
You’re a Nazi.
No, You’re a Nazi Jew
Zoro’s a racist now.
Good news:. It’s still Trumps fault. Bush has been exonerated by voting Democrate twice, at least.
That being said, the idea they are all Nazis is BS propaganda Putin is using to justify his invasion.
But the idea they don’t exist, and did not commit violence against Western Ukrainians who were upset at the coup again the former legally elected leader is also BS.
Let the Russian areas be Russian, Let Ukraine join economically with Europe but not NATO. Let the Russians have a buffer but kick their ass if they dare try to go any further like Poland etc. Lets end this stupid war and protect our own borders. Lets drill baby drill and end dependence on Russian and all foreign oil.
Tom Clancy could not have dream this up. Ukraine is the only country in the world that has Nazi symbols in their military and is also led by a Jewish President. Of course, Soros is Jewish and he is proud of the fact that he collaborated with the Nazis. I guess truth really is stranger than fiction.
They can take the letter “T” with it.
The globalists have taken the world full fascist. The actual neo-Nazis are on the Ukrainian side.
I wonder how the western press would begin covering this war if Putin publicly started calling Donald Trump a nazi.
Quick! The Scrabble community needs to eliminate ‘Z’ from the tile bag.
That’s a 10 point letter!.................
Sacrifices MUST be made. No more ZA two ways on a triple letter for 62 pts!
Odd, indeed, that it’s a Latin “Z” and not the Cyrillic letter.
My understanding is that the Z on the equipment was originally a location designation from within Russia.
It allowed the folks routing the equipment would know where to send it once it got close to the border.
Now, it may have “evolved” from that point.
I think the term “poopy head” can be spread around most national capitals these days. LOL
That may work for Europe, but we don't need it. America has had a new “symbol of hatred" since the day Crazy Joe moved into the White House - the ice cream cone...
;>)
Yet the Azov battalion of Ukraine is literally using a Nazi insignia and that gets ignored as they try to prop up Zelenskyy.
I have to wonder if any of these kids could explain the National Socialist point of view on economics and how the system should be implemented.
I figured if you want to be anti Russian, the thing that would infuriate them the most would be to come screaming at them like “Nazis.”
I am not a Nazi. I know what it means. I understand fascism from its original point of view—not the current “everyone who has power is a fascist.” Nothing about their world view interests me.
I AM fascinated as to “why” people do this stuff, and who is actually following these leaders.
Propaganda, when done correctly, is an opiate of the masses. Just spend ten minutes scrolling through Twitter and read the posts from complete morons who want to get the west into a nuclear war.
So is Samsung...just rolling out their Samsung Galaxy Z.
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