美国国家公共电台 NPR--Russia strikes, Ukraine repairs, in a battle to survive the winter

Russia strikes, Ukraine repairs, in a battle to survive the winter

Transcript¹

KYIV, Ukraine — When Ukrainian solider Viktor Ganich was given a brief leave from his military unit, he went to stay at the apartment of his mother and step-father in Kyiv.

Then came an early morning barrage² of Russian drone attacks on the city.

One drone slammed into the apartment where Ganich was staying. He survived. His mother and step-father were killed.

"Honestly, it's a very strange feeling," said Ganich. "Because on the front line, I witnessed bullets above my head, tank shelling, mortar³ shelling, and I survived. And when I came here to Kyiv, it's strange, because, it just feels like it's destiny."

Russia dramatically stepped up its air campaign last month with waves of drones and missiles.

In the latest barrage, Russia fired 70 cruise missiles on Wednesday. This knocked out electricity, heating and water in many cities and further damaged the already fragile power system. These basic services were steadily⁴ returning on Thursday and Friday.

Ukraine said it shot down 50 of the 70 missiles on Wednesday. The figure couldn't be independently confirmed. But it's in line with other recent claims by Ukraine, which says it usually knocks out two-thirds to three-quarters of the incoming fire.

But the Russian weapons that reach their targets are causing serious damage.

A need for more air defenses

"Ukraine does not have enough firepower to be fully⁶ protected from the sky. That is why we ask the whole world to help Ukraine by any means," said Col. Yurii Ihnat, the spokesman for Ukraine's Air Force.

Ukraine's limited air defenses have been geared to protect key military and government sites. But the recent, more widespread Russian attacks have left Ukraine unable to protect all the potential targets in the energy sector⁸.

Ukraine says most of the country's power plants and substations have been hit and damaged since the stepped up Russian air campaign began Oct. 10.

The result is rolling power cuts for now, which usually last around four hours at a time. The more ominous⁹ prospect¹⁰ is of extended blackouts during the coldest days of winter.

"I think Ukraine does face a real challenge from a concerted Russian strike campaign that's focused on the electricity grid," said Michael Kofman, an expert on the Russian military at CNA, a research group just outside Washington.

"I think it is taking a toll¹¹ over time. Ukraine is able to manage it right now, fix blackouts. And most Ukrainians cities, I've seen are enacting¹² electricity conservation. They're quite dark at night even though they have power," he added.

Drones pose a new kind of threat

Ukraine has been contending with Russian ballistic missiles and cruise missiles since the war began.

Now Russia is also firing swarms¹³ of loud, low-flying, slow-moving drones acquired from Iran. This has further complicated Ukraine's air defenses.

"Drones can loiter, which makes them different from a missile, and then decide to dive bomb and explode on impact," said Kelly Grieco, with the Stimson Center, a Washington think tank.

She says all these Russian weapons require different defenses.

"I don't think there are enough air defense⁵ systems probably in the world to be able to create that kind of impenetrable barrier that we would like to be possible right now," she said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently announced the arrival of new Western air defenses. They include a U.S. contribution known as NASAMS, which protect the White House and other government buildings in Washington.

This certainly helps, says Michael Kofman. But integrating different weapons systems is tricky¹⁴. He noted¹⁵ that Ukraine is now managing 14 separate artillery¹⁶ systems, including many sent from the West this year.

"The issue is that if they get a couple of air defense systems, and they have a few batteries of each, it create enduring challenges for maintenance, for operation, for training," said Kofman.

These challenges play out daily. At an apartment building in central Kyiv, a Russian missile recently crashed into the third floor, killing¹⁷ an elderly woman.

Power was knocked out in the neighborhood. On the darkened streets, I asked a young man, Vladimir Yanachuk, if Ukrainians were ready for this winter.

"Ukrainians are not afraid. Winter will be hard. But this winter will be hard, not only for Ukrainians, but for Russian soldiers, too," he said.

As we spoke⁷, the lights suddenly flickered¹⁸ to life in the surrounding apartment buildings. On this night, at least, there would be electricity and heat.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 barrage   

n.火力网，弹幕

参考例句：

• The attack jumped off under cover of a barrage.进攻在炮火的掩护下开始了。
• The fierce artillery barrage destroyed the most part of the city in a few minutes.猛烈的炮火几分钟内便毁灭了这座城市的大部分地区。

3 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

4 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

9 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

10 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

11 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

12 enacting   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Generally these statutes apply only to wastes from reactors outside the enacting state. 总之，这些法令只适宜用在对付那些来自外州的核废料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• In addition, the complexion of enacting standards for live working is described. 另外，介绍了带电作业标准的制订情况。

13 swarms   

蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They came to town in swarms. 他们蜂拥来到城里。
• On June the first there were swarms of children playing in the park. 6月1日那一天，这个公园里有一群群的孩子玩耍。

14 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

15 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

16 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

17 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

18 flickered   

（通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The lights flickered and went out. 灯光闪了闪就熄了。
• These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. 这些灯象发狂的交通灯一样不停地闪动着。