THE Russian invasion of neighbouring Ukraine is has erupted with Ukrainian capital Kyiv under attack.
In the images emerging of the conflict in Ukraine, a Z has been spotted on the sides of Russian military vehicles.
What does the Z mean on Russian tanks?
On many of Russia's tanks there is a white symbol which looks like the letter Z, sometimes with a white box around it.
The symbol is most likely to help to avoid friendly fire.
The mark means that the tank will not be confused with Ukrainian or other allied forces vehicles.
It prevents Russian forces attacking their own vehicles but also lets opposing forces identify them.
There is a possibility of confusion as Ukrainian tanks look very similar, especially from the air.
It also could also symbolise that the vehicles were ready to attack.
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What do the other symbols mean?
Along with the most common Z symbol, others have been spotted on many tanks.
A triangle with two lines on either side has been seen on some tanks.
Others show a circle with dots inside it, two triangles with one inside the other, and diamond shapes.
These are all painted white on the side and the tops of military vehicles such as tanks and lorries.
It is unclear what the different symbols mean but it is likely that they indicate their attack group.
One symbol could denote a specific objective for that vehicle as well as preventing friendly fire.
Symbols like these have been used in other conflicts such as chevrons for the US troops in Iraq.
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