Content note: Pro-war 'Z' symbol supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine; displaying it is restricted by law in some countries. This object is shown as it was published. Why

'Z #заПутина' LED billboard

A portrait-format LED screen on a building shows a large white Z over a Russian-tricolour background with the hashtag #заПутина ('for Putin'). Z was the marking on Russian military vehicles in Ukraine from February 2022. The tell is the equation on the sign: a war symbol, the national colours and the leader's name are joined so that backing the operation and backing the man read as one act.

Propaganda techniques used in this sign or banner

Identity fusion

Date: September 24, 2022
Period: Contemporary
Made by: Unidentified operator of an outdoor display in Russia (pro-war 'Z' campaign)

Full record

Region, Country, Medium, Issuer type, Regime, Leader, Audience, Purpose, Themes, Event, Source, Rights

Region: Eastern Europe and Eurasia
Country: Russia
Medium: Signs and banners
Issuer type: Mixed
Regime: Putin Government
Leader: Vladimir Putin
Audience: Domestic public
Purpose: Persuade or win support
Themes: War and the military, Media and information
Event: Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Regime: Russian Federation under Vladimir Putin
Leader: Vladimir Putin
Source: Unidentified Source blurred: contractors, cutouts, buried disclosure
Source: Wikimedia Commons, retrieved September 29, 2026
Rights: CC BY-SA 4.0 (photograph by Alexander Davronov, per Wikimedia Commons)
Alexander Davronov, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.