Why Z is for Putin

The last letter of the Latin alphabet has become the symbol of support for Russia’s war in Ukraine

Mandatory Credit: Photo by ANATOLY MALTSEV/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (12837871c)The letter Z and a hashtag reading 'We don't leave ours' seen over Ligovsky Prospect in St. Petersburg, Russia, 07 March 2022. The letter Z has been used by Russian forces as an identifying sign on their vehicles in Ukraine. Russian troops entered Ukraine on 24 February prompting the country's president to declare martial law and triggering a series of severe economic sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russia.Russian troops identifying symbol in St. Petersburg, St Petersburg, Russian Federation - 07 Mar 2022

Mar 8th 2022|3 min read

IN CYRILLIC, THE letter “Z” is written “З”. But since Vladimir Putin launched his latest invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, the Latin form has proliferated inside Russia. Just days after the invasion, Maria Butina, a Russian spy-turned-politician, filmed a video of herself drawing Z on her coat. “Keep it up, brothers,” she declared. “We’re with you forever.” The governor of Kemerovo, a coal-mining region in Siberia unofficially called “Kuzbass” (“Кузбасс”’ in Cyrillic), decreed that its name would henceforth be rendered in a Cyrillic-Latin mix as “КуZбасс”. Ivan Kuliak, a Russian gymnast, plastered a Z on his uniform when he took the podium beside a Ukrainian competitor at the Gymnastics World Cup in Qatar on March 5th, causing the International Gymnastics Federation to start disciplinary proceedings against him. Why has the letter Z become a symbol of support for Vladimir Putin’s war?

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