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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.
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I am sure that it was Erskine Childers snr and not his son, president Childers that was the author of riddle of the sands. He was also part of the delegation that negotiated the Anglo Irish agreement following the war of independence.
That’s what I thought too when I first read that.
It was actually Erskine Childers’ father who was executed in 1922, that wrote The Riddle of the Sands. Great article tho Sinead and god knows Darby O Gill was the ultimate in paddywhackery !!
It was Erskine Childer’s father who was the writer.
Hillery’s golf handicap sums up his presidency
It’s well known that De Valera,as Taoiseach, went to the German embassy and offered condolences to the Nazis on the death of Adolf Hitler.
I never knew that President Douglas Hyde did the same thing.
Ireland’s best kept dirty secret?
Not a ‘dirty secret’ – as a neutral country, Hyde was acting appropriately as Head of State rather than expressing a personal view
Research fail…
What a horrible Americanism If you are american I forgive you
@fitszpatrick
How is “X fail” an Americanism? I has thought it was more of an Internetism. Fail is the opposite of win and both can be used as nouns.
In other news, what horrible capitalisation and lack of punctuation. If you are under the age of ten, I forgive you.
Like ur fail is the opposite of succeed and lose is the opposite of win. Enough already Eva. If you are woman I forgive you
No mention of the “small joke” which JFK cracked in the Dáil and which so annoyed Dev. What was it?
Hi Pete,
Thanks for your comment. The story was told by Ryan Tubridy in his JFK in Ireland book last year. He discovered that de Valera had wiped the offending part of JFK’s address to the Dáil from the record – quite extraordinary!
The “joke” was a reference to Lord Edward Fitzgerald’s line “Leinster House does not inspire the brightest ideas.”
JFK seemingly meant it as a light hearted quip, as he added, “that was a long time ago, however”. It wasn’t enough to appease Dev, according to Seán Lemass, who heard him tell the young American that “he had done no service to Irish politicians by this quotation”.
The whole story (is a bit longer than this – so wasn’t really suitable for this article) can be read in that book if you’re interested. Hope this answers your question.
Thanks again for your feedback.
Best,
Sinead
It is also ironic that Erskine Childers was executed by the Free State government for possession of a pistol that was a gift from Michael Collins.
Where’s the explanation of the caption under the picture?
Brutal work.
Hi
Thanks for your comment. The story was told by Ryan Tubridy in his JFK in Ireland book last year. He discovered that de Valera had wiped the offending part of JFK’s address to the Dáil from the record – quite extraordinary!
The “joke” was a reference to Lord Edward Fitzgerald’s line “Leinster House does not inspire the brightest ideas.”
JFK seemingly meant it as a light hearted quip, as he added, “that was a long time ago, however”. It wasn’t enough to appease Dev, according to Seán Lemass, who heard him tell the young American that “he had done no service to Irish politicians by this quotation”.
The whole story (is a bit longer than this – so wasn’t really suitable for this article) can be read in that book if you’re interested. Hope this answers your question.
Sinead
Nothing wrong with Darby O’Gills and the Little People.
It’s a fine Cork pub.
“One of the last presidential acts of Douglas Hyde was to visit the German ambassador Eduard Hempel on May 3, 1945. During the visit, which remained a secret until 2005, he reportedly offered his condolences on the death of Adolf Hitler.”
It did not ‘remain a secret until 2005′. It was widely known and circulated at the time and afterwards. It was common knowlege when I was growing up, learning history at secondary school and subsequently at third level. In case you’re wondering I’m no six year old.
Anyone got video of Mary Robinson on the Den? looks like it was in The Best Bits of the Den DVD
Noth
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