War in Ukraine: What do the big “Zs” on Russian military armor signify?

From the beginning Russian invasion of UkraineThe Last February 24, Many Internet users wonder about the large “Z” written in white on Vladimir Putin’s army armored vehicles. The existence of an emblem is still a mystery, as no official explanation has been given by Russian authorities for the use of this symbol to represent a portion of military equipment used in Ukraine, and Z is not the Cyrillic alphabet.

Everyone goes there from their hypothesis. Some first thought of Volodymyr Zhelensky’s Z – President of Ukraine – or “Zapat” which means “West” in the Slavic language. But for many observers and security professionals, the use of this logo will be for strategic and authentication purposes above all else.

“It is very important to distinguish any offensive force, especially from the air that Russian forces have full control over today,” a military source told the British Daily. The sun. “Ukrainians have very similar tanks and vehicles, they want to reduce the risk of friendly fire,” the same source said.

Geographical purpose of Russian units

Rob Lee, an American expert on Russian defense policy, estimated in a tweet that Russian forces were wearing “Z” to identify various intervention groups. A reliable hypothesis is that the letter is not the only symbol displayed on Russian military armor. In some regions, the tanks launched by Vladimir Putin are marked “V” and “Os”.