Van Kuliak The Russian gymnast wears 'symbol of invasion' "Z" on chest next to Ukrainian on podium

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Russian gymnast wears 'symbol of invasion' on chest next to Ukrainian on podium

20-year-old Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak wore the letter 'Z' - a pro-Putin symbol - on his chest during a gymnastics tournament in Qatar while competing against Ukrainian athletes
A Russian gymnast has sparked outrage after wearing a 'symbol of invasion' while competing at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Qatar this week.
20-year-old Ivan Kuliak had the letter 'Z' - a pro-invasion symbol - emblazoned on his chest, while competing in a competition which featured athletes from Ukraine.
Kuliak ended up winning bronze in the parallel bars, but ironically lost out to Ukraine's Kovtun Illia, who won gold.
The 'Z' has recently morphed into a symbol of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and pro-Putin politicians and influencers have been spotted wearing it on their clothes and pro-invasion demonstrators have been waving flags bearing the letter.
It stands for 'Za pobedy', which means 'For the victory', and has been plastered all over Russian tanks.
It's understood that 'Z' merchandise is being sold via the Kremlin-funded RT.
Russian teams and athletes have faced universal scrutiny ever since Vladimir Putin's forces invaded Ukraine last month, with many of them being prevented from competing.
On Saturday, Russian Formula One driver Nikita Mazepin was released by Haas, despite initially being given assurances of his place on the team if he competed under a neutral flag.
Football has also begun a major crackdown, with the Russian national team banned from playing at the World Cup, and Russian club sides booted out of European competitions.
Russian and Belorussian athletes have also been banned form the Paralympic Games.
It comes as Russia's invasion intensifies, with forces destroying Ukrainian port city Mariupol and seizing the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
Putin continues to insist that Russia is not bombing Ukrainian cities, despite an overwhelming amount of evidence proving the opposite.
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