A totally normal letter of the Latin alphabet now being annexed into Cyrillic. Cultural curation of #Z propaganda: no endorsement implied. Plz DM new sightings!
Mar 10, 2022 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
How is #Z used as a symbol of fear to intimidate opponents and activists in #Russia? A thread🧵I'll start with the black-Z-shirted Anton Demidov, who vows not to leave city streets-"the rear of the Russian army"-unguarded from "hypocritical" protestors
But the Z threat can be more direct & personal, like when it's painted on the door of your home. This happened to Rita Flores from Pussy Riot (reported 5 March)
Totally normal day at #Russia space agency Roscosmos. In this 10 March video, everyone must wear their swanky #Z badge with St George's ribbon (a memorial of fight vs Nazis in WW2) over their white coats. Badges say ZА МИР=FOR PEACE en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon_of…
Of course proper Russian would be ЗА not ZA, but Latin Z is invading the Cyrillic alphabet right now (see thread). "For peace" is one of the more Orwellian invasion slogans: the Russian Ministry of Defense has used it too
Maria Butina is a Pro-Putin activist & member of parliament in #Russia, who served jail time in the US for being a Russian agent (she's the famous NRA gun photo lady!). On 3 March she showed her Telegram fans how to draw #Z on their clothes. HT @francska1en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_But…@francska1 In the accompanying comment she talks about "our Z army". She thought about using a Z badge instead, but disliked that it was costly & temporary. Marking your clothes (especially designer ones) shows more commitment; can neither be erased nor hidden t.me/mariabutina/42…
Mar 6, 2022 • 29 tweets • 20 min read
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
