A Holocaust memorial in Latvia has been defaced with a "Z" sign, widely considered to be a symbol of support for Russia in its ongoing war in Ukraine, Belga News Agency reports.
Police are still investigating who graffitied the "Z" letter onto the Bikernieki Memorial, located less than 10 kilometres outside the centre of Riga, Latvia's capital city.
"Z" is widely understood to be shorthand for 'za pobedy' — meaning "to victory" in Russian. It is regularly seen on Russian military vehicles and is frequently used by people both inside and outside of Russia to indicate support for Moscow. Latvia, which was formerly part of the Soviet Union, has a sizeable Russian-speaking minority.
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Approximately 46,500 people — including Jews, Soviet prisoners, and anti-Nazi dissidents — are believed to have been killed in the forest surrounding the Bikernieki Memorial during the Nazi occupation of Latvia in World War Two.
