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In Kazakhstan, local residents made a person cover a Z symbol on his car with paint. He tried to justify himself that his last name, Zinovyev, starts with a Z, and apologized for his actions. (streamable.com)

submitted 3 years ago by Wilshire@lemmy.ca to c/ukraine@sopuli.xyz

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A video appeared from Kazakhstan. Local residents made a person cover a Z symbol on his car with paint.

He tried to justify himself that his last name, Zinovyev, starts with a Z, and apologized for his actions.

https://t.me/pravdaGerashchenko_en/27934

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[-] lazylion_ca@lemmy.ca 19 points 3 years ago

Why would they find the Z offensive?

[-] Wilshire@lemmy.ca 73 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago)

"Z" is a military symbol that the Russian military has been painting on vehicles in Ukraine. It's become a pro-war symbol for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

[-] Alto@kbin.social 36 points 3 years ago

To expand, it's essentially the Russian version of the German iron cross in ww2, and has very similar connotations.

[-] Skua@kbin.social 19 points 3 years ago

I'm not sure that analogy really holds. The iron cross had been part of German military iconography since before Germany was even a united country, whereas this Z thing appears to have popped up specifically for the current Russian invasion

[-] Alto@kbin.social 5 points 3 years ago

The connotations of the iron cross during ww2 and the Russian Z now are very much similar.

Nowhere did I claim the connotation of the iron cross outside of ww2 carried the same connotation, because it very clearly doesn't.

[-] snooggums@kbin.social 7 points 3 years ago

I heard Zorro will be suing any day now.

[-] Epilektoi_Hoplitai@lemmy.ca 38 points 3 years ago

Upvote for a sincere question. Here's the wiki article on its use as a fascistic pro-war symbol. Kazakhs are unhappy with it because they too are a country that Russia makes territorial claims against and are thus largely opposed to the war and its symbols.