２４歳カナダ人、ウクライナ外国人部隊へ 「正しいことをやる」

【ＡＦＰ＝時事】カナダ軍の歩兵だったハンター・フランシスさん（２４）は、ウクライナに縁もゆかりもない。だが、ロシア軍の砲撃を受けたウクライナの住宅地を見て戦いに加わることを決め、欧州に向かった。（写真はフランシスさん。ポーランド・ワルシャワにて）
　フランシスさんは、ニューブランズウィック州の先住民居住区イールグラウンド・ファースト・ネーション出身で、犯罪学を学ぶ学生だった。
　「決断というほどのものではない。正しいことをやるだけだ」とＡＦＰに話した。「他国に全面侵攻するなんて、２１世紀に起こってはならない」
　友人や家族、特に母親は、ウクライナ行きにショックを受けたという。
　「自分から進んで戦場に行くなんて正気じゃないとみんなに言われた」とフランシスさんは落ち着いた口調で話す。
　ウクライナのウォロディミル・ゼレンスキー大統領は、外国人の志願者から成る「国際部隊」を編成すると発表し、世界中に参加を呼び掛けた。
　ドミトロ・クレバ外相によると、６日までに各国から約２万人が集まり、戦闘に参加している。
　「もしカナダが攻撃され、みんなから見捨てられ、孤立したらどうなるだろう。助けが欲しいと自分だったら思う」とフランシスさんは語った。
　リュックサックに防弾チョッキ、防音用マフ、サバイバルキットなどを詰め込み、故郷から６０００キロ近く離れたポーランドの首都ワルシャワに飛んだ。
　「財布には祖母の遺灰が少し入った小瓶を入れている。いつも欧州に行きたいと言っていたから」
　ワルシャワでは、交換留学でカナダに来ていた高校時代の友人の助けを借りた。ホテルを予約してくれたり、途中まで車で送ってくれたりした。
　国境を越えると、ウクライナの腕章と武器が供与される予定だ。
　「アフガニスタンに派遣されなかったので、正式な戦闘経験はない。でも、訓練をたくさん受けた。それを生かせればと思う」
　フランシスさんは、外国人義勇兵の存在はそれだけで士気を高めると考えている。緊張しているが怖くはないという。
　「これは戦争だ。撃たれたらその時だ」「自分が何に首を突っ込んでいるのかは分かっている。でも、技能があると自分でも分かっていながら、フェイスブックに投稿される戦況をくつろぎながら見て、何もしないでいるなんてできない」
　自分のような西側諸国の兵士は、ロシア軍の標的にされ、捕らえられればプロパガンダに利用される可能性も分かっている。
　しかし、「ロシア兵に怒りは感じていない。彼らもそこにいたいと思っているわけではないだろう」と言う。
　「誰もこの戦争を望んでいない。誰も何かを得ることなどない」【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/03/11-14:12）

Former Canadian infantry soldier Hunter Francis has no connection to Ukraine. But when he saw that Russian troops were shelling residential areas there, he flew over to join the battle.
It wasn't really a decision. Just something that you had to do. It's the right thing to do, said the 24-year-old, who is from the Eel Ground First Nation reserve in New Brunswick.
This stuff's not supposed to happen. There should not be a full-scale invasion of another country in the 21st century, he told AFP.
The criminology student's travel plans came as a shock to his friends and family -- especially to his mother.
Everyone I've told said I'm insane. You've gotta be insane to voluntarily walk into a warzone, he said, calm and cool-headed and wearing combat fatigues.
No-one likes to do this stuff... I'm just doing what needs to be done. Someone's gotta do it. That's been my mentality my whole life, he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky openly invited foreigners to his country to form part of an international brigade that would fight side by side with Ukrainians against the Russians.
Francis heeded that call after putting himself in their shoes.
They are just like us. Just normal folks. That are now drawn into a conflict and staying there to fight, he said.
What if Canada was attacked and everyone left Canada? We'd be all alone. Wouldn't we want help? I know I would, he added.
- Morale booster -
After packing his rucksack with essentials like a bullet-proof vest, hearing protection and a wilderness survival kit, Francis flew nearly 6,000 kilometres to Warsaw.
In my wallet, in a little vial, I've got a bit of my grandmother's ashes. She always wanted to come to Europe. Now she's here, he said.
In the Polish capital he got help from a foreign exchange student friend from high school, who booked Francis a hotel room and drove him part of the way to the Ukrainian border.
There, Francis plans to help out at an aid station, before travelling to Lviv and onward to Kyiv.
Once across the border, he will get a Ukrainian armband and a weapon.
Coordinating his crossing is Jan Plewka, a Polish firearms instructor who has been helping dozens of foreign fighters both from Poland and elsewhere.
I've never been to Afghanistan, I have no formal combat experience but I have lots of training. Hopefully I can put it to use, Francis said.
Some 20,000 international volunteers have already joined the fight against invading Russian forces, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Sunday.
Their presence can help Ukraine's troops on multiple fronts, according to Francis.
They're getting more manpower. They're getting more firepower. They're getting more of whatever kit we bring. I have tons of medical supplies I can hand out, he said.
We would also definitely help their morale just by being there.
- 'No one wants this war' -
The last few days have been a blur for Francis.
It's been pretty sleepless. You psych yourself up, right? Like you're constantly thinking of what can happen, he said.
Though he is wary of Russian tanks, in general Francis said he is not afraid.
It's war. If I catch a bullet over there, I catch a bullet. So be it, he said.
I know what I'm getting myself into but I wouldn't be able to sit back and watch all this on Facebook and not help -- with the skillset that I have, he added.
You've just gotta make peace with yourself. And once you do, then you're not scared of anything.
Still, he expects Russia to target foreign fighters like him with a vengeance.
Any chance they get to get a Westerner, oh they're gonna use that propaganda. There's gonna be torture videos, he said.
For his part though, he has no hatred towards the enemy on the battlefield.
I don't feel any anger towards the Russians. They don't want to be there, he said.
No-one wants this war. No-one wins from it.