Barely two weeks after the invasion, the mystery of the Z symbol on Russian tanks deployed to Ukraine remains unsolved. Experts continue to try to guess the meaning behind the symbol. They began to guess since the symbol was plastered on Russian tanks a few days before the invasion began in February.
Opinions of experts are divided. Some say, Z stands for "Za pobedy" or "for the sake of victory" in Russian.
There are also those who think, Z means "Zapad" or "West". Experts who believe in this meaning, think Russia is giving a signal that their next target will be Western countries.
A number of other experts consider Z as a symbol of the "Zorro Army" aka those who defend the weak by carrying out attacks.
CNN reports, there are even some military experts who suspect the "Z" is a sign of Russia's main target in this invasion, namely President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Aric Toler, a researcher for Russia's independent operations monitoring agency Bellingcat, said he was still confused. During eight years as a researcher, this is the first time he has seen the symbol.
"So I'm assuming the worst," Toler said on Twitter.
Until now, the mystery has not been revealed. However, the Z has now turned into a symbol of support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Russians began to put the Z symbol on various accessories, clothes, and cars. Some groups even posted videos wearing black T-shirts with the words "Z" on them and shouting pro-Russian invasion slogans.
Kamil Galeev, an observer from the US think tank, the Wilson Center, did not want to try to unravel the mystery of the symbol. According to him, the important thing is that the symbol can unite the supporters.
"The authorities launched a propaganda campaign to increase support for the invasion of Ukraine, and they garnered a lot of support," Galeev said on Twitter.
He later wrote, "The symbol that was just discovered a few days ago is now a symbol of a new ideology and a new national identity."