A Russian political scientist has revealed his theory behind the 'Z' symbol Russian troops have been using in Ukraine.
Various symbols have been spotted on Russian military vehicles since President Vladimir Putin sent troops across the border on 24 February in his 'special military invasion'.
The letter 'Z' has become the most prominent and turned into a symbol of support for the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. Staff and patients at a children's hospital have even been seen outside in freezing conditions lining up in formation of the letter for a propaganda photo.
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However, senior researcher in the Laboratory for Studies in Economic Sociology at the Higher School of Economics Dr Grigory Yudin has since given his take on the 'Z' symbol and what it truly means.
In an interview with Russian figure skater Ekaterina 'Katia' Alexandrovna Gordeeva on her YouTube show 'Tell Gordeeva', Dr Yudin deemed the 'Z' symbols to be 'half swastikas'.
He said: "They are half-swastikas. The people who are in charge of spreading this across the country know what these are. They clearly know what they are.
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"There is not a percent of chance that this is a coincidence.
"When several months ago an acquaintance of mine with contacts among the authorities told me there are a lot of Hitler’s fans up there [around Putin], I didn’t believe it. Now I do.”
Stunned by the doctor's take on the symbol, Gordeeva stated that such a meaning was 'impossible'.
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"It's hard to believe it, but it's definitely true. These people know what they are doing," Dr Yudin continued.
He claimed that those using the symbols 'know what they are using, they knowingly gather the symbols, and they do it purposefully'.
Dr Yudin reflected: "It's clear the threat carried with those swastikas."
Dr Yudin took part in one of the many protests that occurred on the first day of invasion, which saw 'at least 900 arrests'. During the protest, Dr Yudin was beaten unconscious by police.
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He reflected on the invasion as being 'the most senseless war in history'.
Dr Yudin, who leads the MA programme in political philosophy at the Moscow School for the Social and Economic Sciences, warned Putin will likely introduce 'general mobilisation, wartime economy, [and] liquidation of property', and theorised that 'internal Nazi agents' will be blamed, the death penalty reintroduced and borders closed.
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He said: "The whole thing starts to look like an unhinged escapade with terrifying consequences and inescapable defeat on the horizon.
“Which is why we’re at a turning point: the world we’re living in right now won’t survive for very long at all.”
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Topics: Russia, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin
Poppy Bilderbeck