World War Z

It may not be zombies, but Putin's forces seem rather mindless, unable to capture the major cities of Ukraine after 13 days of heavy fighting.  Everyone has been speculating what the Z stands for that has been whitewashed on tanks.  It's not the only letter that Russian forces use to tag their armored vehicles, but it is the one that has popped out.  Yesterday, the Russian ministry of defense said Z stands for za pobedy, or "for victory," but they have no Z in their Cyrillic alphabet, nor does Ukraine.  Whatever the case, it has become the symbol of this invasion and is now being worn by gymnasts in international competitions.  

I hate the way symbols and letters become appropriated during wars.  The Swastika is a sun symbol in many cultures, and one can find it stitched into many traditional Lithuanian linen patterns.  I remember seeing it a lot when I lived on the Navajo reservation in the summer of 1986.  Yet, once Hitler appropriated it, the sun symbol became forever associated with his regime.  I hope that won't become the case with the letter Z.  Otherwise, I would have to shelf my Team Zissou t-shirt.

Thirteen days into this war, and Russia is no closer to taking Kyiv or Kharkiv or even Mariupol, which continues to hold despite heavy bombardment and no running water.  In several cases, the Ukrainian army has actually pushed Russian forces back, which are unable to mount any kind of sustained ground attack.  So, Putin has started bombing the cities unmercifully, which he said he wouldn't do, but now is so desperate he will resort to everything to conquer Ukraine, maybe even blowing up the nuclear reactor at Zaporizhzhia.  Lots of Z's there.  However, his ministry of misinformation has claimed Ukraine is building a dirty bomb at Chernobyl, which his armed forces currently control.

I well imagine all the Z's we now see emblazoned on billboards, and being formed by students, are not individual efforts, but the brainchild of Dmitri Peskov, who wants to rally Russians behind a war that is spinning wildly out of control.  His ministry of misinformation has even woven it into the Ribbon of St. George, which became very popular after the Crimea invasion.  

The only problem is that this Z is fast becoming synonymous with a deep-seated paranoia, like the letter Q in the United States.  Russian propaganda channels have now gone full blown Q-anon, spinning wild stories of NATO invasion in an effort to create a greater sense of urgency in the streets of Rostov-on-Don and other cities that might eventually see a spillover from this war. 

Through it all, Putin is trying to keep a straight face, even surrounding himself with pretty Aeroflot stewardesses and green leafy bushes, which almost makes you wonder if he is hiding out in Sochi.  Many think this video was faked, as Putin had been keeping his distance in all previous meetings with his officials.  However, it seems charming Vlad had all the stewardesses tested for COVID before sitting down with them for a cup of tea, and reassuring them Aeroflot would still be there when they finish training school.  It would seem Vlad stole a page from Don the Con in surrounding himself with beautiful women.

Unfortunately, it only adds to the sharp contrast in leadership.  Ukrainian President Zelensky remains in the trenches with his soldiers, unwilling to leave his country, despite what have been at least three foiled assassination attempts.  As a result, he is being hailed as a true leader and an inspiration to all presidents around the world.  His quote, "I need ammunition, not a ride" has gone viral.  Not Vlad though.  No way he is going to get anywhere near the front line.  He is hiding out in a bunker somewhere, assiduously avoiding COVID or any assassination attempts on him.

Regardless of how this war turns out, Putin has permanently lost whatever little bit of clout he once had.  No one will ever trust him again, and whatever attempts at negotiation will go through intermediaries, as an exasperated President Macron couldn't believe Putin wasn't able to insure a safe evacuation corridor for civilians fleeing Kharkiv and Mariupol, the most basic of wartime gestures.  Putin wanted to funnel these evacuees into Russia and Belarus, where he could hold them hostage, and try to further strong arm Ukraine into recognizing his land grabs in Crimea and Donbas.

At this point, I would say the Z stands for Zany, which best describes how crazy all this is.  Never would I have imagined Putin boxing himself into a corner like this and having to pull such zany stunts to try to win over the hearts and minds of Russians, who continue to get arrested in the streets for protesting this unwarranted war. Those jails must be pretty full by now.  He's lost most of his celebrity endorsements as well, even in his own country.  Only one naive little gymnast was brave enough to wear this Z in public and will now face a lifetime ban from international competitions.  I'm sure Putin will hail him as a hero back in Russia.  Maybe even have a cup of tea with him at a long table.