Terminally Ill Kids Made To Stand In Snow Forming 'Z' In Support Of Russia

A group of terminally ill children were made to stand in the freezing cold outside their hospice in Russia to form the letter "Z" in snow, supporting the country's invasion of Ukraine.

A photograph of the letter formation was captured using a drone and posted on the website of a cancer charity in the city of Kazan, in southwest Russia. The picture showed several sick children at the charity, along with their mothers lined up outside their health facility in the shape of the letter Z, New York Post reported.

"Our patients and the entire team took part in it, about 60 people in total. People lined up in the form of the letter 'Z'." said Vladimir Vavilov, chairman of a cancer charity who organized the pro-war stunt in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"In our left hand we held leaflets with the flags of the LPR, DPR, Russia, and Tatarstan and we clenched our right hand into a fist," Vavilov added.

LPR (Luhansk People's Republic) and DPR (Donetsk People's Republic) are the two breakaway regions inside Ukraine that are effectively under Russian control. Though Ukraine views them as terrorist organizations, Russia recognized them as independent states on Feb. 21.

Meanwhile, the pro-war stunt involving sick children was widely criticized on social media. Some users even compared the symbol to Hitler's Swastika and shared the pictures drawing parallels between them. "The Z is now being used as Putin's swastika," a user tweeted.

The symbol "Z" first appeared on Russian tanks and military trucks that moved into the Ukrainian border in February. Since the beginning of the war, there have been several widespread speculations about what the letter meant.

Some people believe that "Z" stands for "za pobedy" which means "victory" in Russian, while some others think it indicates the areas where the Russian troops are stationed in Ukraine regions, claiming Z stands for "Zapad" which means west. There are also speculations that the symbol could also stand for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Although the origin of the symbol is still a mystery, from its initial use as a demarcation on military vehicles, "Z" has recently become a symbol of public support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, several high-profile Russians, including the gymnast Ivan Kuliak and convicted secret agent Maria Butina were seen wearing clothes with the symbol Z on them. Kuliak has to face disciplinary proceedings after he was seen in a T-shirt with the letter Z on it at World Cup in Doha while standing next to Ukrainian gold medallist Illia Kovtun.