![Russian tanks emblazoned with 'Z' were first spotted on Ukraine's border. Here's how the letter became a pro-war symbol](https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/220307115911-01-russia-z-symbol-ukraine-war-super-tease.jpg)
Russian tanks emblazoned with 'Z' were first spotted on Ukraine's border. Here's how the letter became a pro-war symbol
CNN
In late February, days before Russian forces launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine, videos and photos began circulating on social media showing tanks, communications trucks and rocket launchers emblazoned with the letter "Z" rolling toward the border.
Digital sleuths speculated over what the "Z," written in the Roman alphabet rather than Cyrillic, might indicate about Moscow's next moves.
Military experts interpreted the "Z" as "Za pobedy," Russian for "for victory," or as "Zapad," for "West." Some dubbed vehicles painted with the symbol the "Zorro Squad," while others suggested the "Z" might stand for the Kremlin's self-styled "target number one," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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