Thread by @TotallyNormalZ

The Cyrillic alphabet #Russia uses has a Ze ("З", like Greek Zeta "ζ") which in pro-Putin circles is now often replaced by its Latin equivalent #Z. Aside from the graphical symbolism of Z, does it have a verbal meaning, or stand for something? A thread on how Z's used in words🧵

First things 1st: I can't see any consensus that the original use of #Z as tactical recognition markings for parts of #Russia's invasion force was supposed to stand for a word. It's not a letter in their alphabet after all. There were some speculative guesses but nothing concrete

If so, it's fair to guess words seen with a Z have been "retrofitted" to the military symbol. That gives a lot of flexibility: mostly Z is just being used to replace З, which is a more frequently occurring letter in Russian than Z is in English sttmedia.com/characterfrequ…

Including a letter from the wrong alphabet sticks out, a bit like the faux Cyrillic in AИIMAL FAЯM. But И sounds like I and Я like Ya, so they look similar but sound nonsensically different. Swapping Z for З, looks radically different but sounds the same! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faux_Cyri…

"З" is the first letter of the very common preposition "За", which can mean "to", "for" or a bunch of other things. So replacing З in "За" with Z offers unlimited possibilities. We see "Zа наших"="for ours" a lot. (The linked thread is worth reading!)

More ominously, it's used along the ubiquitous hashtag #СвоихНеБросаем ("Svoikh Ne Brosayem=we don't abandon/leave behind our own"). So the "ours" in "for ours" refers to Russian kinsmen in Ukraine, whose alleged persecution and genocide justifies war

But there are lots of other things you can be "for": #ZаПобеду & #ZаНашуПобеду are popular hashtags. "За (Нашу) Победу"="For (Our) Victory".

So far, so militaristic. Perhaps more ideologically disturbing is the leader worship/personality cult. "За Президента (Za Prezidenta)" = "For the president" is a big Instagram hashtag. You can guess "За Путина (Za Putina)". These #Z's may also be chanted:

There's also the pure patriotism of "Za Rossiyu"="For Russia", of course

A longer word than за: "Z/Защита (zashchita)"=protection (or defense, security, shelter etc) often accompanies the "ribbon" version of #Z. Westerners see an invasion slaughtering civilians. In #Russia, the special operation is framed as life-saving

Another longer Z/З word is zakanchivat'="to end". Maria Zakharova, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, wrote on 28 Feb "Россия не начала войну, она её заканчивает (Rossiya ne nachala voynu, ona yeyo zakanchivayet)": Russia didn't start the war, it ends it.
dw.com/en/fact-check-…

Similarly this 7 March media headline: "Мы заканчиваем восьмилетнюю войну (My zakanchivayem semiletnyuyu voynu)"="We end the 8-year war". The implication here is that Ukraine has waged war against the ethnic Russians of Donbas since 2014
web.archive.org/web/2022030712…

So "z/заканчиваем войну (zakanchivayem voynu)"="we end the war", is not just a statement of confidence in Russia's success, but also deflects blame: Ukraine started it, not us. We're just restoring peace & protecting our own.

For foreign audiences, "Z" has also been appearing in some Latin script words e.g. the Russian ministry of defense with "denaZification"

Or the Z in this one: "NATO STOP PLZ" - note how this shifts the blame for the conflict away from Russia and towards NATO "aggression"

Another English language one, stating a war aim: demilitariZation (Russian Military of Defense on Instagram, 4 March)

I'll do all the Ministry of Defense Instagram ones chronologically. The first batch was 2 March, with ЗА ПОБЕДУ (ZA POBEDU=FOR VICTORY) for "Z" and СИЛА V ПРАВДЕ (SILA V PRAVDE=STRENGTH/POWER IN TRUTH) for "V" (note "V" isn't in Cyrillic alphabet either, it's replacing В here)

Also interesting to note the hashtag these were posted under: #героиz (geroiz), where z has been added at the end instead: it's an additional letter, not one substituting for a з. So it could be read as "heroesz". The caption was edited on 5 Mar, don't know what the original was

On 4 March, ЗА ПОБЕДУ (FOR VICTORY) again. Note switch to "St George's ribbon" Z, like that on RT merchandise on 26 Feb . Both pic & ribbon recall the defeat of the Nazis in the Great Patriotic War (WW2 Eastern Front), idea of "fighting Nazism" in Ukraine

Also 4 Mar, trio of Z images: ЗА МИР (ZA MIR)=FOR PEACE, ЗА ПРАВДУ (ZA PRAVDU)=FOR TRUTH, ЗАКАНЧИВАЕМ ВОЙНУ (ZAKANCHIVAYEM VOYNU)=WE END THE WAR. Orwell would be proud of first two: I think it's 1st entry on this thread for peace/truth, & chronologically earliest for end the war

Also 4 March, chronologically the first English language ones: demilitariZation and denaZification

5 March, a pair for Z: ЗАКАНЧИВАЕМ ВОЙНУ (ZAKANCHIVAYEM VOYNU)=WE END THE WAR again with different pic, then a new phrase: ЗА ДЕТЕЙ ДОНБАССА (ZA DETEY DONBASSA)=FOR THE CHILDREN OF DONBASS

Also 5 March, a pair for V: СИЛА V ПРАВДЕ (SILA V PRAVDE=STRENGTH/POWER IN TRUTH) again with new pic, & first appearance of ЗАДАЦА БУДЕТ ВЫПОЛНЕНА (ZADATSA BUDET VYPOLNENA)=THE TASK WILL BE COMPLETED

Also 5 March, Russia's Military of Defense returned to ЗА ПОБЕДУ (FOR VICTORY). As previous day, has Saint George's ribbon & visual reference to victory over Nazis in the Great Patriotic War blended into modern conflict. Original hashtag used is #героиz

6 Mar: St George ribbon "Z" with WW2/today split photo again (now emphases #Russia's multiethnic army-theme of recent Putin speech?). Hashtag #zапобеду (for victory). Main text has #V and #Z: V ОТВЕТЕ ZА МИР (should be В ОТВЕТЕ ЗА МИР, v otvete za mir)=IN RESPONSIBILITY FOR PEACE

6 Mar: new graphic design, #V made using fingers (with #Russia helicopter in background). Hashtag used is #СИЛАVПРАВДЕ (should be СИЛА В ПРАВДЕ; SILA V PRAVDE=STRENGTH/POWER IN TRUTH) as in the original Defense Ministry picture from 2 Mar

Was posted with a longer comment: "#СилаVправде Они защищают тебя и мир. Поддержим наших парней. Они это услышат!"="#StrengthInTruth They protect you & peace. Let's support our guys. They will hear it!"

Also 6 Mar: fingered Z (#Russia ground forces in background). 1st appearance of ZАПАЦАНОV (should be ЗА ПАЦАНОВ; ZA PATSANOV=FOR THE BOYS): note this uses both #Z and #V, like V ОТВЕТЕ ZА МИР did before. Ministry of Defense's comment is same as above but with hashtag #ZаПацаноV

7 Mar: return to original style #Z. НЕ ZАБУДЕМ (should be НЕ ЗАБУДЕМ; NE ZABUDEM=WE WILL NOT FORGET) makes first appearance as slogan. #Russia's Ministry of Defense uses #zапобеду (for victory) hashtag & same "support our guys" comment as before.