A video appeared from Kazakhstan. Local residents made a person cover a Z symbol on his car with paint.
He tried to justify himself that his last name, Zinovyev, starts with a Z, and apologized for his actions.
Why would they find the Z offensive?
“Z” is a military symbol that the Russian military has been painting on vehicles in Ukraine. It’s become a pro-war symbol for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
To expand, it’s essentially the Russian version of the German iron cross in ww2, and has very similar connotations.
I’m not sure that analogy really holds. The iron cross had been part of German military iconography since before Germany was even a united country, whereas this Z thing appears to have popped up specifically for the current Russian invasion
Upvote for a sincere question. Here’s the wiki article on its use as a fascistic pro-war symbol. Kazakhs are unhappy with it because they too are a country that Russia makes territorial claims against and are thus largely opposed to the war and its symbols.
