The "Z" symbol has also cropped up among members of Russia's lower house of Parliament, the Duma. Maria Butina was convicted of serving as an unregistered foreign agent in the United States trying ...

On many of Russia's tanks there is a white symbol which looks like the letter Z, sometimes with a white box around it. According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, the "Z" symbol means "for the ...

And even the letter Q has become loaded, thanks to fans of Q-Anon’s endless conspiracy theories. Corporate symbols get redefined, too, for better or for worse.

On the other side, the most notable symbol has been the simple Z. There have been many theories about why this letter has become a pro-war symbol, and what its origins might be.

Russians have chosen the letter Z as the symbol for their invasion of Ukraine. It is marking the Russian military vehicles and is widely used by the supporters of the war in Russia. I don't ...

The symbol has also been deployed as a threat: Anton Dolin, a prominent film critic who left Russia over his opposition to the war, posted a picture on Facebook of a giant white Z that someone had ...

A serviceman waves from a military truck painted with the letter "Z" in Mykolaivka in the Donetsk region, a territory controlled by pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukraine, on Feb. 27.

But the origins of the symbol remain a mystery. Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the letter "Z" was seen painted on tanks as well as other military vehicles massing near the border.

The symbol has also reportedly been painted on the doors of prominent Russians such as film critic Anton Dolin as well as Pussy Riot member Rita Flores in an apparent attempt at intimidation. Whether ...