Why Z is for Putin

IN CYRILLIC, THE letter “Z” is written “З”. But since Vladimir Putin launched his latest invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, the Latin form has proliferated inside Russia. Just days after the invasion, Maria Butina, a Russian spy-turned-politician, filmed a video of herself drawing Z on her coat. “Keep it up, brothers,” she declared. “We’re with you forever.” The governor of Kemerovo, a coal-mining region in Siberia unofficially called “Kuzbass” (“Кузбасс”’ in Cyrillic), decreed that its name would henceforth be rendered in a Cyrillic-Latin mix as “КуZбасс”. Ivan Kuliak, a Russian gymnast, plastered a Z on his uniform when he took the podium beside a Ukrainian competitor at the Gymnastics World Cup in Qatar on March 5th, causing the International Gymnastics Federation to start disciplinary proceedings against him. Why has the letter Z become a symbol of support for Vladimir Putin’s war?