UkraineParliament on Sunday banned the symbols “Z” and “V”, used by Russiaof the army to advance its war in Ukraine but with the consent of the President Volodymyr Zelenskyycalls for permission to use them for educational or historical purposes.
Yaroslav Zheleznyak, an opposition member, who announced the decision on the messaging app Telegram, said 313 delegates voted in favor of the 423-member Verkhovna Rada council.
Zelenskyy vetoed the previous version of the bill and called for the two icons to be allowed to be displayed in museums, libraries, scientific works, reprints, textbooks and the like.
Neither letter exists in the Russian alphabet. They have been widely used, especially on Russian military vehicles and equipment, to advance the goals of the conflict.
Moscow called the invasion of Ukraine a “special military operation” aimed at disarming the neighboring country and protecting it from the fascists. Ukraine and the West consider the Nazi leader’s accusations baseless and that the war is an act of unprovoked aggression.
Over the weekend, Russia attacked positions in eastern Ukraine, hitting the Donbas and Mykolaiv regions with airstrikes and shelling. Read full story
The new bill bans the establishment of NGOs that use Russian war symbols or undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Ukraine’s parliament on Sunday also extended for another 90 days, that is, until August 23, the period of martial law in the country.
(Reported and written by Ronald Popeski in Winnipeg; Editing by Chris Reese)
