Ukraine conflict: reference to Russia's strategy?
Mysterious Z mark on tanks
Created: 2022-03-02 04:47
By: Sonja Thomaser
It is not clear what the "Z" on Russian military vehicles in Ukraine means.
© Konstantin Mihalchevskiy/Imago
Pictures from Ukraine show Russian military vehicles with a large white "Z".
This could indicate a Russian strategy for the invasion.
KIEV — Dozens of Russian tanks and other military vehicles that have entered eastern Ukraine since Thursday (February 24, 2022) bear an unknown white “Z” mark on their sides, the New York Post reports.
It is unclear what these markings are supposed to mean and whether they may indicate a Russian war strategy.
country | Ukraine |
|---|---|
president | Volodymyr Zelenskyy |
capital city | Kyiv |
population | 44.13 million (2020) |
Videos and stills of the vehicles show the letter either alone or surrounded by a white triangle, square or circle.
Other symbols - such as a white triangle with two lines on either side, red triangles, white circles, white triangles, and white slashes - were also spotted on some vehicles.
The markings are not just limited to tanks, but have also been seen on trucks and amphibious vehicles.
Russian tanks: markings possibly for identification purposes in Ukraine war
Observers suspect that the markings are signals for other Russian troops to avoid becoming victims of their own fire.
Others have speculated that the markings could also indicate which company the vehicles belong to or where they are to be driven in the event of an invasion.
Such signs are not outside the norm for vehicles used in combat.
During World War II, the US military used similar markings on armored vehicles and jeeps for identification purposes.
Ukraine War: Not confirmed that the markers are indicative of locations
Rob Lee, a graduate student and observer of Russian defense policy who drew attention to many of the marked vehicles on the Ukrainian border, told the New York Post that the symbols are used to "identify different task forces or squadrons."
Lee pointed to a post from a popular Russian Telegram channel that claimed what the signs meant.
"The source said what the tactical signs on Russian military equipment mean: Z - Kharkiv direction [triangle] Slaviansk, Kramatorsk [district] mobile reserve," read a translated version of the post.
Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city*, is just over 20 miles from the border with Russia*, while Slaviansk and Kramatorsk lie just outside the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic, which are controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
It has not been confirmed that the markings indicate where the vehicles are going.
Ukraine War: Tank markings possibly different task forces
Another possibility, according to Lee, is that the possible variations point to "different task forces".
"Most 'Z' marks seen so far have been inside a square, but this Ural truck with an Msta-B howitzer has one inside a triangle.
They may indicate different task forces within a larger formation or squadron.
This is in Valuyki,” he tweeted, referring to a Russian town just 25 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Despite the speculation, other investigative organizations are at a loss as to the exact meaning of the markings.
"A lot of people ask us about this 'Zorro Squad,' but I don't know why they draw that giant Z on vehicles.
Some believe this is a cue for their own planes so their own would not be bombed.
But we see a lot of vehicle movement every day and this Z is very rare,” Ruslan Leviev of the Conflict Intelligence Team tweeted last weekend.
What is questionable about this assessment in connection with the Ukraine conflict* is that Leviev has been investigating markings of this type for eight years and still does not know what the current “Z” markings are, according to the New York Post.
Aric Toler of British research collective Bellingcat tweeted: "Re: the 'Zorro Squad' or all those Russian military vehicles that (as of today) have Latin Zs on their sides.
Ruslan has been monitoring this stuff non-stop for 8 years and has no idea what it is and has never seen it before.
Well, I'm assuming the worst.” (sot)
*fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
