The Z letter seen on the Russian vehicles that invaded Ukraine is by now likely familiar to everyone. It even became a symbol in both Russia, where it is used by those supporting Putin and his "special military operation", and in Ukraine as a symbol for tyranny, in the same way that the swastika was a symbol for the Nazi Germany as seen on the collage on top.
Using markings on vehicles are quite common in wartime; the Allies marked their vehicles during WWII, and it is a method to help identify the units and avoid friendly fire, in particular from air strikes during close air support.
In this theater it takes even more importance since both sides use the same vehicles and equipment. Both Russia and Ukraine use the same type of Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs). In regards to tanks, the T-72 and T-80 are used by both but even the T-64 (used only by Ukraine) and the T-90 (used only by Russia) are very similar to each other, in particular from a distance. On top of that, after a while both sides tend to use captured equipment so markings become crucial.
There are still some doubts what the Z, and other markings already known, do actually mean.
The Russians stated, on Instagram, that it comes from the phrase "To the Victory", in Russian "Za pobedy", but I don't think that it's true.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have shared the image on collage's left side with an explanation. The text is in cyrillic so here's what it means:
- Z: identifies Russian forces from the Eastern district
- Z (enclosed in square): identifies Russian forces from Crimea
- O: Identifies forces coming from Belarus
- V: Identifies Marines
- X: Identifies forces from Chechnya
- A: Identifies Special forces, including SOBR, Alpha Group, and the Special Operations Forces
However, there is a mistake. The V is not for Russian Marines, but for the VDV (Vozdushno-desantnye voyska), Airborne Forces, that are a separate branch of the Armed Forces (and I guess this is why they mention it as Marines, since the US Marine Corps is also a separate branch of the US Armed Forces).
So far all VDV columns have the V markings, so that seems correct, although there were images of the Chechens in vehicles also marked with V. There are also other different markings, like the triangle and the circle with dots (although this one might be the O).
I guess that only after this ends, we will see the Wikipedia page for this with the correct explanation for the meaning.
The image on the collage's right side is the other side of the barricade. As it has been mentioned a lot, the so-called Azov Battalion (that in fact is a regiment) has its origins in people from the far-right, the neo-nazis that many people talk about. Officially they deny they are neo-nazis, something they have to do since they are an official unit of the National Guard (a gendarmerie type military force), part of Ministry of Internal Affairs (they are not incorporated into the Armed Forces, part of the Ministry of Defense), and since 2015 it is forbidden by Ukrainian law to display and share any kind of propaganda and symbology associated with Soviet Communism and Nazism.
However there is no doubt about the origin of Azov and the ideology of several of its (founding) members. It's not even the only example in Ukraine, just the most talked about (there is also the Donbas Battalion and the Pravyi Sektor, Right Sector, movement's volunteer battalion).
And so it is not strange that the symbol they chose is very similar to, even the same as or strongly inspired by, the wolfsangel, a German heraldic symbol that Nazi Germany appropriated (like the swastika that existed long before the Nazi Party), and was even the symbol of various Waffen-SS formations as stated in the image above.
Azov, which shares the symbol with the former Social-National Party of Ukraine (this reminds me of something, NAtionalsoZIalistische!!!) claims that it is not derived from the wolfsangel, but from their slogan Ідея Нації (Idea of the Nation ). It is a subterfuge to maintain the legality of the symbol.
But on the regiment's coat of arms, in the background of the stylized IN is a Black Sun (in German, Schwarze Sonne) another famous Nazi symbol. Just in case there were still some doubts...
I have to write in more detail about the Azov Regiment and the other neo-nazis or neo-fascists in Ukraine, because there are some there, just like there are some all over Europe and the rest of the World, including in Russia but that is for another time.
What I can say is that the Z already won its place in the History books, I'm sure about that.
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