Though the letter Z does not exist in the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, it has nonetheless become synonymous with leader Vladimir Putin’s unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine ever since the letter was seen emblazoned on the invading forces’ vehicles.
But why the letter ‘Z’?
The Kremlin has claimed the letter stands for the phrase ‘za pobedu’ (for victory), while the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine says it identifies units from Russia’s Eastern Military District, and when seen inside a square — Russian forces from Crimea.
As part of Putin’s programmed nationalistic surge, Putin supporters and hacks have taken to wearing Z badges, and Russian youngsters have released videos of themselves in Z‑branded T-shirts, screaming: ‘For Russia! For Putin!’
But it doesn’t end there. There are also pretty Russian women dressed in nurse uniforms dancing the ‘Z.’
Still, the brainwashing wasn’t complete until toy replicas of Russian military vehicles with the ‘Z’ logo on them went on sale for Russia’s youngest children.
According to the Daily Mail:
The online EONK store, headquartered in Moscow, is selling a range of the small plastic toys which includes military trucks, multiple rocket launcher systems, fuel tankers, missile launchers and personnel carriers.
Prices range from 602 – 817 rubles, equivalent to roughly £6.12 – £9.25.
Their sale comes as part of a nationwide campaign to drum up support for Russia’s war effort among young people, which has seen ailing children dragged out of hospital to stand in the shape of a Z and young gymnasts sporting the symbol on their singlets.
First seen on tanks and armoured vehicles on the battlefield, the letter Z has since been adopted for propaganda purposes by Putin’s regime and is now seemingly ubiquitous in Russian media as well as on the front lines.
The appearance of the Z-marked toys did prompt some interesting reactions, especially on Twitter. One, in particular, I found amusing. It apparently ‘fixed’ the error in the original toys:
Fixed it. pic.twitter.com/g0blTel60g
— RBEL (@rbelmedia) May 2, 2022
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
Paul Crespo is the Managing Editor of American Liberty Defense News. As a Marine Corps officer, he led Marines, served aboard ships in the Pacific and jumped from helicopters and airplanes. He was also a military attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at U.S. embassies worldwide. He later ran for state and federal office, taught political science, wrote for the editorial board of a major newspaper and had his own radio show. A graduate of Georgetown, London and Cambridge universities, he brings decades of experience and insight to the issues that most threaten our American liberty – at home and from abroad. To read more go to: paulcrespo.com.
Maybe the Z stands for Zelenskyy, the target of the Russians.
Horrible. No such toy trucks, tanks, aircraft, ships, guns, helmets, or other evil military equipment was ever sold in the USA !