Gymnast Ivan Went Viral For Wearing The Z Symbol At The Gymnastics World Cup To Support Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

JAKARTA - Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak is seen wearing the letter Z on his uniform in an official competition. The symbol is known to represent support for his country's invasion of Ukraine.

The 20-year-old gymnast wore a uniform with the pro-Putin symbol when she competed against Ukrainian athletes at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Qatar. This is known from the video circulating on social media.

Previously, there was also a video showing Kuliak practicing in the uniform. He also pointed at his chest which showed the symbol Z, then raised a fist that signified war.

The video was first uploaded to the @karelian_gymnastics_team account before Kuliak uploaded it on his Instagram story with a fist, wink and laugh emoji.

When appearing in the World Cup, Kuliak finished in third place for the parallel cross number. He was defeated by Kovtun Illia with a gold medal from Ukraine.

The letter Z turned into a symbol of Russia's invasion of Ukraine which pro-Putin supporters later wore on clothes. Pro-invasion demonstrators have also raised flags with the symbol in their march.

The symbol Z itself stands for 'Za pobedy', which means 'For victory'. The symbol has also been emblazoned on all Russian tanks attacking Ukraine.

Since Russia started the war in Ukraine, all Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from participating in a number of sporting events around the world.