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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

16 comments fedilink hide all child comments

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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[-] antifa@infosec.pub 24 points 3 years ago

W Kazakhstan

[-] PugJesus@kbin.social 12 points 3 years ago

Check this Kazakhstan chocolate ad released shortly after Russia's first mass mobilization (and flight) for another Kazakh win

I'll probably never have the chance to eat whatever the fuck brand of Kazakh chocolate that is, but being nice to a Russian guy fleeing the draft while also implying that being outside of Russia is his first taste of freedom is peak international trolling, I love it.

[-] 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.

[-] Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world 18 points 3 years ago

"It's not a Nazi symbol... a swastika is a symbol of luck and health in India!"

[-] bradorsomething@ttrpg.network 5 points 3 years ago

“It’s the start of a maze.”

[-] Bread@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 years ago

I don't disagree with the sentiment, but Z is still a letter of the alphabet and should have a bit more leeway. What their true intention is, I don't know, but it is a lot harder to say for certain it was in bad taste.

[-] Dkarma@lemmy.world 8 points 3 years ago

Dude is just dense.

[-] Ignacio@beehaw.org 12 points 3 years ago

Correction to that Russki: his last name doesn't start with a Z. It starts with a З.

[-] troyunrau@lemmy.ca 9 points 3 years ago

That depends. Kazakhstan switched the Kazakh language to the roman alphabet recently. So now Russian names, when transliterated to Kazakh can start with Z. Still, in this context, it's probably not being used that way.