「父親亡くしたよう」　プリゴジン氏悼む支持者

【サンクトペテルブルクＡＦＰ＝時事】謎の航空機事故で死亡したとされるロシアの民間軍事会社ワグネル創設者エフゲニー・プリゴジン氏の支持者らは２４日、サンクトペテルブルクにある同社のビル、通称「ワグネル・センター」前に集まり、同氏に哀悼の意を表した。（写真はロシア・ノボシビルスクの「ワグネル・センター」前に手向けられた花）
　ワグネルが６月、ロシア正規軍に対する武装反乱を起こすと、ウラジーミル・プーチン大統領はプリゴジン氏を「反逆者」と呼んだが、国民からの人気は根強かった。
　ワグネルのロゴとロシア国旗があしらわれた帽子をかぶって弔問した男性は「父親を亡くしたようだと言えるかもしれない」と話した。「われわれにとってはあの人が全てだった。皆、ゼーニャおじさん（プリゴジン氏の愛称）が言うことをいつも待っていた」
　この男性同様、多くのロシア人がソーシャルメディアに投稿されるプリゴジン氏の歯に衣着せぬ動画や音声メッセージを心待ちにしていた。同氏の罵詈（ばり）雑言に満ちた動画は、政府関係者の厳密に統制された発言とは対照的だった。
　ロシア正規軍に対し強烈で露骨な批判を展開したことで、プリゴジン氏はロシア社会の一部でカルト的存在になった反面、軍高官を敵に回した。
　ワグネル・センター前に集まり、赤いカーネーションを手向けた人々は、プリゴジン氏の武装反乱やプーチン氏が反乱を公に非難したことには触れなかった。また、墜落原因をめぐる臆測も口にしなかった。
　■ロシアは「孤児」に
　別の男性（３６）は「シャルル・ドゴール元仏大統領が死去した際、フランスは孤児になったと言われたのを知っているだろう。私に言えるのは、今夜孤児になったのはロシアかもしれないということだけだ」と語った。
　バイクで訪れた女性（３１）も花束をささげ、家族を亡くしたように感じたと話した。「私たちにとって、あの人は友人や兄弟のような存在になっていた。きょうの出来事は兵士らに大きな影響を与えると思う」
　一方で、プリゴジン氏の死が国内の緊張を高める可能性への懸念も広がっている。この女性も「これが社会の対立の火種にならないことを願う」と述べた。
　■「必然的な流れ」
　プリゴジン氏を悼む声は、首都モスクワでも聞かれた。ある男性（５３）は「この国にとって大きな悲劇だ」と語り、「非常に胸の痛む状況だ。かつてないほどに今必要とされているこの国の英雄たち（ワグネル戦闘員）に同情する」と述べた。
　同市では、墜落原因に関するうわさも出ている。ある女性（２１）は「複数の可能性がある。防空システムで撃ち落とされたか、テロ攻撃だったのか。あるいは（プリゴジン氏が）平和に暮らせるよう、死が捏造（ねつぞう）されたのかもしれない」と持論を展開した。
　別の女性（３２）は、プリゴジン氏の搭乗機墜落について「自分も含めて誰も驚かなかったと思う」と語り、「この国の一連のニュースを見ていれば、ごく必然的な流れだ」と述べた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/08/28-16:26）

Russian supporters of Yevgeny Prigozhin gathered outside the Wagner headquarters in Saint Petersburg on Thursday to pay their respects to the mercenary group's boss, presumed dead after a mysterious plane crash.
Prigozhin was branded a traitor by President Vladimir Putin after his short-lived rebellion against the conventional Russian army on June 23-24.
But he remained popular among Russians, who acclaimed the battlefield achievements of the Wagner paramilitary group -- despite many accusations of abuses and war crimes.
You could say it's like losing your father, said Igor, one visitor to the building, who was wearing a hat with the Wagner logo and the national flag on it.
He was everything to us, because everyone was always waiting (for) what Uncle Zhenia (Prigozhin) was going to say.
Like Igor, many Russians eagerly awaited Prigozhin's outspoken videos and audio messages on social media.
The expletive-packed clips were a sharp contrast to the tightly controlled narrative of Russian officials.
His verve and unbridled criticism of Russia's regular army had turned him into a cult figure for parts of Russian society -- and antagonised Moscow's top brass.
Tensions degenerated into a violent but short-lived mutiny at the end of June.
The rebellion ended with a deal, mediated by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, under which Prigozhin was expected to move to neighbouring Belarus with some of his fighters.
There was no mention of Prigozhin's rebellion -- or the ensuing public repudiation by Putin -- from the mourners laying red carnations in front of Wagner's glass-fronted multi-storey headquarters, opened last autumn to great fanfare.
- 'An orphan' -
They also avoided speculating on the reasons behind the crash of the plane, on which Wagner's operational chief Dmitry Utkin was also a passenger.
Russian officials have launched a probe into the cause of the crash, but investigators gave no update on Thursday.
Mourners however expressed a familial affection for the warlord, who spent years in prison in Soviet times before making a fortune through his catering business and later building Russia's most powerful private army.
Pavel Zakharov compared Prigozhin to Charles de Gaulle, France's former president and head of the resistance against the Nazis.
You know, when in France President Charles de Gaulle died, it was said that France had become an orphan.
I can only say that for me tonight, it's probably Russia that has become an orphan, the 36-year-old said.
Among the crowd was Natalya, a 31-year-old woman who arrived on a bike, a bouquet in hand.
She said it felt as if she had lost a family member.
For us he had become like a friend, a brother. I think this is very significant moment for the soldiers today, she said.
But some feared that Prigozhin's death would raise tensions in Russia.
I hope it will not become for our society some kind of red rag to a bull, said Natalya.
- 'Logical news' -
Some Muscovites were also mourning.
This is a great tragedy for our country, said Andrei Senkin, a 53-year-old businessman.
It is a very sad situation. We feel sorry for the heroes of our country [PMC Wagner], who are in demand today more than ever.
And in Moscow at least, some speculated on the reasons of the crash.
There can be several versions, Nikita Gushchev, 21, told AFP.
It could be shot down by air-defence systems or it could be a terrorist attack. Or it could be a staged death to let him live in peace.
Prigozhin's fate had been a matter of speculation for two months, since he led a rebellion widely seen as the biggest challenge to Putin's more than two decades-long rule.
In an unusual deal with Minsk, the Kremlin guaranteed he would be allowed to live in Belarus.
I think no one was surprised, including me, said Veronika Anokhina, a 32-year-old entrepreneur of the air crash.
It's very logical news in the succession of news in our country.