Children at a hospice were made to stand outside in the snow in the shape of the letter 'Z' to show support for Vladimir Putin's invasion in the Ukraine.

Vladimir Vavilov, the chairman of a cancer charity that runs a hospice for unwell children, organised the shocking pro-war stunt in the city of Kazan, in the Tatarstan region, this weekend.

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

Letter 'Z' merchandise has been sold by Russia Today, the Kremlin-funded TV channel, while Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak is being investigated after he used white injury tape to create a 'Z' letter on his leotard.

In yet another propaganda stunt, Mr Vavilov told children at the hospice and their mothers to stand in the snow to form a giant letter 'Z', according to .

Mr Vavilov said as they stood in the shape of the letter 'Z', patients held leaflets with the flags of Russia, the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) and Russian republic Tatarstan as they held their other hand in a fist.

He added: 'Our patients and entire team took part in it, about 60 people in total.'

The stunt, which was posted on the hospice's website, was photographed using a drone.

The LPR and the DPR became self-proclaimed breakaway states located in Ukraine that Putin has recognised as independent states.

Ukraine regards both the DPR and LPR as terrorist organisations due to their loyalty to Russia.

The Republics are located in the historical Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine.

The letter 'Z' has rose to prominence across the past month as a pro-war and pro-Putin symbol in Russia.