Several Msta-S howitzers, R-149MA1 command-staff vehicles, TOS-1A thermobaric MLRS, MT-LB, and BMP-2 in Belgorod. It appears Russian forces near the border are painting markers, in this case "Z", on vehicles to identify different task forces or echelons. Other experts propose that the letter may stand for the word zapad, which means “west.” candidate at the department of war studies at King’s College, London, who has been documenting the invasion, proposed that different variations of the symbol suggest “different task forces” within the Russian army. But according to military analysts, the most likely explanation is that the Z, along with several other symbols incorporating letters in use among Russian ground forces, is meant to identify which group of the invasion force the vehicles were from, as well as to prevent friendly fire, since the Ukrainian military uses some of the same military hardware.
The Russian military has never confirmed why the Z appeared on the vehicles of its invasion force. Below is a primer on the pro-war meme, where it’s been seen, and what it has come to mean.
#UKRAINE INVADE US IF UR GAY MEME WINDOWS#
These displays of Z, which is a letter in the Latin, not Russian, alphabet, have been heavily promoted by Russian state media, used in propaganda videos, and spotted everywhere from Moscow Metro billboards to the windows of Russians’ cars to a Russian gymnast’s uniform. While the marking was most likely used as a simple way to visually differentiate groups of Russian forces, the letter Z has since become a symbol of support in Russia for both the “special operation” - which is the term Russians are now required by law use for the invasion - and for Russian president Vladimir Putin. Photo: Andrej Isakovic/AFP via Getty ImagesĪs Russia massed its military forces along the Ukrainian border in preparation to invade, close observers of the buildup noticed that the letter Z had been painted on many of the Russian military vehicles. A protester paints a Z on a street, in reference to Russian tanks marked with the letter, during a rally in Belgrade organized by Serbian right-wing organizations in support of invasion in Ukraine on March 4.