Police probe Russian pro-war 'Z' graffiti at Northern Ireland Game of Thrones Dark Hedges site

Police are investigating after pro-Russian graffiti appeared at a Game of Thrones filming location and tourism spot.

Graffiti reading 'Z' and 'glory to Russia' has been daubed on the road at the world famous Dark Hedges site in Northern Ireland.

The tree-lined avenue in Country Antrim was popularised by the hit HBO fantasy series, and has become a key tourist attraction in the area.

PSNI officers are making enquiries after the graffiti was daubed on the road over the weekend.

It includes the symbol 'Z,' which has been seen painted on Russian tanks during the Ukraine invasion.

The PSNI confirmed the force had received a report concerning the graffiti on a tunnel at the Dark Hedges in the Bregagh Road area of Armoy.

A spokesperson said: “Enquiries are ongoing.”

The letter Z is not in the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, and the exact meaning and significance of the symbol is not fully clear.

However experts have suggested a variety of potential explanations for the pro-war symbol's meaning.

They theories span from the character standing for "Za pobedy" (for victory), to referring to "zapad"(west) - as a possible reference to a location in Russia a unit was originally stationed.

The graffiti incident comes as a number of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of their country started to arrive in Northern Ireland.

Local politicians have condemned the graffiti.