What does the letter 'Z' written in white on Russian vehicles mean?

Thousands of Russian vehicles were painted with the symbol in mid-February prior to the war

A pro-Russian soldier in a uniform without insignia walks next to an armoured vehicle with "Z" painted on its side in the separatist-controlled village of Bugas, Ukraine. Reuters

Russian military vehicles with ''Z'' painted on them in Ukraine's Kharkiv province. Reuters

A Russian Armed Forces vehicle with "Z" and triangle markings during the Ukraine invasion at an unspecified location in a screengrab from social media. Reuters

Pro-Russian troops in uniforms without insignia in an armoured vehicle with "Z" painted on its front in Donetsk, Ukraine. Reuters

Soldiers loyal to Russia, but with insignia-free uniforms, in the separatist-controlled settlement of Bugas. Reuters

The letter "Z" on an armoured vehicle in the Donetsk enclave. Reuters

A destroyed Russian Army all-terrain infantry vehicle, marked with a "Z", in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Reuters

Russian Tigr infantry vehicles destroyed after fighting in Kharkiv. AFP

Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine

On Saturday, Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak created global controversy by wearing a 'Z' symbol on his sports vest and now faces “disciplinary proceedings” from the International Gymnastics Federation, which does not allow political symbols at sporting events.

But what does the ‘Z’ symbol mean? The letter has been painted in white on thousands of Russian military vehicles in the lead up to the Ukraine war.

What does the Russian 'Z' letter mean?

It has now become a symbol for Russian supporters of the invasion, thought by Russia analyst Kamil Galeev to mean “Za pobedy" (for victory), or possibly “Zapad” simply meaning west — an indicator of the Russian forces designated for the operation.

Some vehicles have been seen spray-painted with a large white 'V' symbol — thought by analysts to indicate origins from Russia’s east, or Vostok East Forces.

Some commentators have said that the order to paint the 'Z' doesn’t seem to have been very specific — the size and method of displaying the character has varied widely.

The symbols could also be used as an identifier of friendly forces, particularly important considering Ukrainian forces use similar Russian-made equipment.

This could also be a double-edged sword for the Russians. During the Normandy invasion in the Second World War, allied vehicles were marked with a white star in a circle, called the Allied Star, which some tank crews came to see as a liability and a possible target marker for the Germans.

Either way, the Z symbol has been adopted by Russian nationalists, including Instagram influencers, while politicians Mikhail Delyagin and Maria Butina have been spotted wearing Z badges and T-shirts.

A Ukrainian serviceman walks past the vertical tail fin of a Russian Su-34 bomber lying in a damaged building in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo

An apartment building damaged after shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo

A woman puts her head in her hands as she sits on a cot in a shelter, set up for displaced persons fleeing Ukraine, inside a school gymnasium in Przemysl, Poland. AP Photo

Belarussian and suspected Russian helicopters on the flight line at Machulishchy Air Base outside Minsk, Belarus. AP Photo

Children look on as people fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine shelter in a school, in Drohobych, Ukraine. Reuters

Families eat in the shelter. Reuters

A woman looks out from a building damaged by Russian shelling in Mykolaiv, 100 kilometres away from Odesa, western Ukraine. AFP

A wounded Ukrainian man waits in the corridor of the central hospital of Mykolaiv. AFP

An elderly woman is carried in a shopping cart after being rescued from Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

A woman reacts as a train carrying children from Kyiv's Central Children's Hospital leaves the Ukrainian capital on its way to Lviv. Reuters

A girl sits in an improvised bomb shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine. AP

An elderly woman is coated in snow as she sits in a wheelchair after being rescued from Irpin. AP

Belarusian volunteers take part in military exercises at the Belarusian Company base in Kyiv. AP

Lessa, left, director of a nursery school turned into a refugee shelter, cries as she hugs Olega, who arrived from Kyiv with her baby, near Lviv. EPA

Ukrainians pass a damaged bridge as they flee from Irpin. AP

A man carries an elderly woman as people continue to leave Irpin. AP

A soldier stands on a barricade made of sandbags in central Odesa, Ukraine. Reuters

A charred Russian tank and captured tanks in the Sumy region. Reuters

People rest at a temporary shelter for Ukrainian refugees in Przemysl, Poland. AFP

Ukraine's ambassador to the Netherlands, Maksym Kononenko, third right, and his wife Tetiana Doroshenko, fourth left, attend a meeting of members of the Ukrainian community with Dutch King Willem-Alexander, third left, and Queen Maxima, second left, to discuss the situation in Ukraine, in The Hague. EPA

A Ukrainian soldier looks at the destruction after shelling in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv. AFP

A refugee holds her dog as they wait for trains to Poland in Lviv, Ukraine. Reuters

A woman ties ribbons in Ukrainian national flag colours in a girl's hair as people wait at a refugee assistance centre in Prague, Czech Republic. EPA

A Ukrainian soldier carries an elderly woman crossing the Irpin river on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP

Lena, who had never left Ukraine before fleeing into Moldova, feeds Dasha, 3, soon after crossing the border. Erin Clare Brown for The National

Refugees without immediate plans to move further inland can stay the night in tents set up on Moldova's side of the border. Erin Clare Brown for The National

Tatiana and her son wait for a van that will carry them from the Moldovan border to Chisinau. Erin Clare Brown for The National

Each night, the Palanca refugee camp in Moldova feeds up to 300 people who arrive with no onward plans. Erin Clare Brown for The National

People pass a damaged bridge while fleeing the town of Irpin, close to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. AP

A Ukrainian soldier stands guard next to a church in Irpin. EPA

A firefighter holds the baby of a Ukrainian refugee at the border in Romania. AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in Kyiv. Reuters

A Ukrainian soldier at a checkpoint in Kyiv. AP

Ukrainian activist Ihor Mazur, left, a veteran of the war in the country's east, looks at a night-vision device in Kyiv. AP

Ambassadors attend a UN Security Council meeting on threats to international security after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in New York. Reuters

Ukraine's UN ambassador Sergey Kyslytsya holds a paper with an image of Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as he addresses the Security Council in New York. Reuters

A road sign put up in support of Mr Zelenskyy outside Russia's embassy in Washington. AFP

Ukrainian refugees at the train station in Lviv, western Ukraine. EPA

Lethal and non-lethal Ukrainian aid is loaded on to a plane bound for Poland by Canadian soldiers in Trenton, Ontario. Reuters

Volunteers carry medical aid and necessities at a train station in Lviv. EPA

Everton players wear T-shirts in support of Ukraine as they warm up for an English Premier League football match against Tottenham Hotspur. AP

A residential building damaged by Russian shelling in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Reuters

A man walks past a checkpoint in heavy snow in Lviv. Getty

A man fleeing fighting in Irpin waits to cross a river after Russian forces entered the city. Getty

Soldiers assist Irpin residents underneath a damaged bridge as they flee. Getty

Ukrainian civilians who volunteered to join the Territorial Defence Forces take part in a training exercise in Odesa after Russia's invasion. Reuters

Men carry a body to a lorry as people flee from the frontline town of Irpin. EPA

A Ukrainian police officer runs with a child as the sound of shelling echoes nearby in Irpin. AP

Parents and children struggle to board a train in Lviv. AP

Why do armed forces paint symbols on vehicles?

Prominent markings on invasion force vehicles are not uncommon throughout military history. In addition to the Allied Star, forces in Normandy painted black and white stripes on the wings of their aircraft.

The reason for this is that in 1943, during the allied invasion of Sicily, American ground forces shot down more than 20 troop cargo planes that were mistaken for German aircraft, killing nearly 100 men.

A low-tech solution would need to be found quickly and prominent painted markings were decided upon for large air formations.

Likewise, during the 1991 Gulf War when an international coalition liberated Kuwait from occupying Iraqi forces, allied vehicles were adorned with a black, inverted V symbol, which according to the US military, was to "reduce the risk of fratricide," or friendly fire.

Russia has also long used "invasion stripes," on tanks, painting a large white cross on the roofs of late Second World War period tanks as identifiers for friendly aircraft. Last year, there were concerns about a Russian attack on Ukraine when Russian tanks were seen near the border with freshly painted white stripes. Evidently, the Russians settled for letter markings.