Pro-Putin politicians and influencers wear clothes bearing the letter 'Z'

Pro-Putin politicians, activists, and influencers have been spotted wearing clothes and badges with the letter ‘Z’ on to show their support for the invasion of Ukraine.

The insignia, which is Latin script, has been seen on Russian tanks and military vehicles coming into Ukraine and become a symbol of the invasion.

‘Z’ merchandise is being sold by Russia Today, the Kremlin-funded TV channel.

Proceeds from the sales are supposedly going towards a charity which supports ‘children of war.’

T-shirts which are unisex are on sale for 1,190 roubles (£8).

Russian MP Maria Butina, who was convicted in in the US in 2018 for acting as a foreign agent, posted a picture of her and colleagues in ‘Z’ t-shirts this week.

The photograph was captioned: ‘The team in support of our army and president! Let’s get to work guys!

Russian MP Maria Butina (second left), who was convicted in in the US in 2018 for acting as a foreign agent, posted a picture of her and colleagues in ‘Z’ t-shirts this week

The insignia, which is Latin script, has been seen on Russian tanks and military vehicles coming into Ukraine and has become a symbol of the invasion

‘Z’ merchandise is being sold by Russia Today, the Kremlin-funded TV channel. Pictured: A ‘Z’ is seen on a Russian military vehicle 

Politician Mikhail Delyagin wore a badge in a meeting of the state duma or parliament emblazoned with a ‘Z’.

In the meeting, the government approved Draconian new laws.

Mr Delyagin said in a statement: ‘Now we are at war. Yes we have a special operation in Ukraine, but we have a war with the West.’ 

It comes as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine intensifies, with forces destroying port city Mariupol and seizing the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

There are fears that there could be around 100 people buried in rubble after a rocket strike on an apartment in the city of Boradyanka, 30 miles from Kyiv.

And images from Irpin, situated on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv, confirmed extensive damage to densely-populated civilian areas, with piles of rubble, twisted metal and burned out cars stretching into the distance.

Pictured: A board in support of the Russian armed forces is on display in Saint Petersburg

A Ukrainian soldier was pictured rescuing a tiny baby from a scene of total devastation in Irpin, including what appeared to be a bombed-out bridge, in a harrowing image that summed up the atrocity of the ongoing war.

Other pictures showed a devastated woman appearing emotional as she walked past a house burning after the city of Irpin came under massive shelling.

Elsewhere, scenes of destruction were seen in the northwestern city of Zhytomyr on Friday, after it was hit by shelling that left a school building completely destroyed.

But a delusional Vladimir Putin has again insisted that Russia is not bombing Ukrainian cities, despite fears that 100 people are buried under rubble after an apartment block near Kyiv was struck and after a cluster bomb attack on the city of Chernihiv which killed 49.

Kyiv says Russia has now lost around 9,200 men in the fighting, along with hundreds of tanks, almost a thousand armoured vehicles, and dozens of helicopters and jets.

Preparations for the defence of the capital have been boosted by Ukrainian attacks on the column of Russian military vehicles which has ground to a halt 20 miles from Kyiv.

Scenes of destruction have been seen across Ukraine, with houses on fire and shelled by Russian forces