Zurich Insurance coverage mentioned it has eliminated the letter “Z” from its social media branding on account of Russia’s use of the letter throughout its conflict in Ukraine.
“The Zurich model has been round for 150 years. It’s a trusted model and now we have confirmed our capacity to vary and reply to challenges over time,” mentioned Zurich Insurance coverage Group in a press release. “We’re quickly eradicating the usage of the letter ‘Z’ from social channels the place it seems in isolation and could possibly be misinterpreted.”
Whereas the origins of Russia’s use of the image are a thriller, numerous press stories point out it’s shorthand for “victory” or “west,” and has been adopted as a pro-war image by some Russians.
“The Russian protection ministry itself has not commented on any of the theories, and as an alternative posted on its Instagram channel that Z meant Za pobedu (for victory),” based on The Guardian newspaper.
“The most well-liked principle utilized by army specialists to clarify the letters is that they had been written based on the respective areas the place the Russian troops are often stationed, with Z doubtlessly standing for Zapad (west),” added The Guardian.
The Z image is now getting used to indicate assist for Russia’s conflict.
“[T]he image has been seen in Russia on folks’s vehicles, on T-shirts, on vans with enterprise logos and even on conflict supporters’ social media avatars,” mentioned a report from Sky News.
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