Zombies
Comparing Russian soldiers to “zombies” is a common metaphor in the Ukrainian media and among the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to describe the tactics of continuous infantry assaults (“meat assaults”) and the psychological state of the occupiers on the battlefield.
The main reasons why Ukrainian fighters and analysts use this definition cover several aspects:
The influence of state propaganda
In an informational context, this term is also used to describe the ideological indoctrination of the Russian population, as a result of which the military perceives a distorted reality without critical thinking.
Coercion and fear of one’s own command
As DeepState analysts and Ukrainian defenders point out, the lives of privates in the Russian army have no value to officers. For refusing to attack or retreat, the occupiers face execution by the blocking units or their own commanders, making forward movement the only option.
Use of psychotropic substances
Unit commanders and representatives of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have repeatedly reported that Russian soldiers are given narcotics and stimulants before assaults. This dulls the feeling of fear and pain, forcing occupiers to move forward even after serious injuries.
Continuous attack tactics
According to Ukrainian military personnel, Russian units often attack in waves along the same routes, stepping over the bodies of their dead predecessors and not paying attention to critical losses.
‘Z’ for Zombies
Russians in Ukraine are walking dead, which makes them zombies. They even sport a “Z” for identification.
Why did they choose to use the Latin letter ‘Z’ anyway? The title photo of the article may be the answer.
Orcs
The term “orcs” for Russian military personnel and those who support the Russian invasion of Ukraine has become common in Ukrainian society since the start of the full-scale war in 2022.
The name comes from the fictional monsters from J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings, who serve the dark lord Sauron (and Russia itself is metaphorically compared to Mordor).
In Ukrainian journalism, social networks, and official reports (in particular, the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine), this comparison began to be used because of the cruelty, looting, torture, rape, and abuse that Russian military personnel commit in the occupied territories.
In August 2022, actor Sal Baker (who played Sauron in the epic film) recorded a humorous appeal on behalf of the cinematic orcs through the UAnimals project, asking not to compare them to Russians, noting that the fictional orcs are warriors, not marauders.
