Many have noticed that the Russian tanks and vehicles invading Ukraine have the letter "Z" painted on them in white. According to CNN:
"Military experts interpreted the "Z" as "Za pobedy," Russian for "for victory," or as "Zapad," for "West." Some dubbed vehicles painted with the symbol the "Zorro Squad," while others suggested the "Z" might stand for the Kremlin's self-styled "target number one," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. [snip]
Russian defense policy expert Rob Lee, who has been tracking the "Z" vehicles since troops began massing on Ukraine's doorstep, suggested the symbol might refer to military contingents assigned to the fight in the country. 'It appears Russian forces near the border are painting markers, in this case 'Z', on vehicles to identify different task forces or echelons,' Lee, a PhD student at King's College London's War Studies Department, tweeted on February 19.
But in the days since Moscow ordered the bloody assault on Ukraine, what started as a mysterious military symbol has become a sign of popular support for the war in Russia, and what analysts describe as the unfurling of a chilling new nationalist movement." (our emphasis)
Putin propagandists are encouraging Russians to display the sinister symbol on clothing, cars and anything else that suits them. One can't help noticing the imagery from Nazi Germany of the swastika and the SS bolts as an antecedent to Putin's symbology. Perhaps some Ukrainians might add three brush strokes to a destroyed or disabled Russian vehicle to illustrate the point.
