美国国家公共电台 NPR--A century and counting: Ukraine's ongoing fight to free itself from Russia

A century and counting: Ukraine's ongoing¹ fight to free itself from Russia

Transcript²

The past century in Ukraine has been packed with monumental events — wars, famines, political upheavals³. Yet there's a recurring⁴ theme that can be boiled down to a single sentence: Ukraine tries to break free from Russia, and Russia refuses to let it go.

"The Russian empire started to expand with Ukraine. In the mind of many Russians, their empire cannot exist without Ukraine. That's why they keep coming back," said Volodymyr Viatrovych, a member of Ukraine's parliament and a prominent historian.

He lives near the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, which the Russians pulverized⁵ in the first days of the war. When the Russians invaded Ukraine before dawn on Feb. 24, Viatrovych says he immediately sent his wife and 6-year-old son to western Ukraine for their safety.

He then drove to Kyiv for an emergency session of parliament, which declared martial⁶ law. By 2 p.m. that day, he received a rifle so he could join the security forces defending the capital.

It was a day of high drama in a war that's still playing out. But as an historian, Viatrovych also sees the actions of President Vladimir Putin as part of a pattern of behavior by Russian leaders.

"Putin's many statements in recent years made clear he wanted to renew the Russian empire. This was a warning to me that this war was going to happen," he said.

A declaration of independence

Ukraine first declared independence from Russia in 1918, doing so in an elegant, whitewashed⁷ building in the center of Kyiv that still stands and now serves as the offices for the Kyiv House of Teachers.

At that time, Ukrainians were seeking to take advantage of the chaos⁸ in Russia following the collapse⁹ of the Russian monarchy¹⁰ a year earlier. But Vladimir Lenin and the Communists, the successors to the Russian monarchy, sent troops to Ukraine and defeated that short-lived independence.

With no real alternative, Ukraine formally became part of the Soviet¹¹ Union on Dec. 30, 1922 — a century ago this month.

A reminder¹² of that history came just two months ago, on Oct. 10. That's when a Russian missile slammed into the street outside the Kyiv House of Teachers.

The blast blew out the windows, as well as parts of the glass ceiling in the hall where independence was declared in 1918. The windows are boarded up. Shards¹³ of glass still cover the floor.

"There are, of course, parallels to a century ago," said Oleh Steshuk, the director of the House of Teachers. "This building was also damaged in the fighting back then. And now it's damaged again. But don't worry. We will rebuild everything."

Andrew Weiss, with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, notes that during the Soviet era, Kremlin leaders repeatedly crushed Ukrainian protests and rebellions — which helps explain why Ukrainians are fighting so fiercely today.

"If you look at all the hardships that Ukraine experienced in the 20th century, and they're vast, this is the moment where all the wrongs of the last hundred plus years need to be redressed," he said.

A clear desire to break from Moscow

Ukrainians thought this matter was finally resolved in December 1991, when they held a referendum on independence. Ninety-two percent voted in favor of going their own way. The Soviet Union collapsed¹⁴ later that month.

But when Vladimir Putin came to power in Russia in 1999, he had other plans. The Russian leader says he doesn't accept Ukraine's independence, and that it's part of Russia. He claims that only Russia can protect Ukraine from foreign invaders¹⁵.

"I have said it before, but I want to say it again: Russia can be the only real guarantor of Ukraine's territorial¹⁶ integrity," Putin said earlier this month.

Putin has worked to install friendly, pro-Russian leaders in Ukraine. Ukrainians pushed back with massive street protests in 2004. And then again a decade later, leading Ukraine's president to flee to Russia in 2014.

Just days after that episode, Putin invaded Ukraine. Then came his full-scale invasion this February.

He never expected such a tough fight.

Weiss said Ukraine is now "mobilizing all of its citizens to make good on the things that people 100 years ago could only aspire¹⁷ to. That's a country that will have an identity that's largely founded in opposition¹⁸ to Russia, and in a national narrative¹⁹ of survival and overcoming."

What the war means for Ukraine and Russia

For Ukraine, the stakes in this war are huge. The same is also true of Russia.

Russian Garry Kasparov, a former world chess champion and a staunch critic of Putin, said the Russian leader knows he can't lose this war.

Because "if he's losing a war, especially a war of his own making, he doesn't survive," he said. "The outcome may signal the end, not just of Putin's era, but the era of the empire. It's 21st century. It's time for empires to go."

Kasparov was still living in Russia 15 years ago when he entered politics and challenged Putin's hold on power. When it became clear his safety was at risk, he left Russia, and now lives in New York.

This year, his organization, the Renew Democracy Initiative, is raising money for Ukraine.

"We see it not just as a moral duty to help Ukraine to survive and win the war," he said. "But also as an opportunity to revitalize the discussion about democracy and the values of freedom. Ukrainians keep demonstrating to us that these values are worth fighting and dying for."

Many military analysts²⁰ warn the war is unlikely to produce a clear resolution on the battlefield. They say it's likely to require negotiations²¹ and compromises.

That's not a popular opinion in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and many citizens say they want all Russian troops driven out of the country.

Zelenskyy recently told Time magazine, "We are dealing²² with a powerful state that is pathologically unwilling²³ to let Ukraine go."

Valeriy Chaly, Ukraine's former ambassador to the United States, said the region would be more stable if Ukraine wins the war and joins NATO. This is what Ukraine's government wants, though joining the alliance is highly unlikely in the near term.

"Being a buffer²⁴ zone or gray zone is not good from a geopolitical point of view," he said. "If you are a gray zone between two security blocs²⁵, two military blocs, everybody wants to make a step. This has happened with Ukraine."

Construction workers are already rebuilding in Bucha, reroofing homes in the snow and mud of a freezing December day.

Viatrovych says Ukrainians believe this time the confrontation²⁶ with Moscow will end differently.

"I believe our generation has an opportunity to put an end to this. Ukrainians are more united, more mobilized, more ready to fight than in 1918," he said.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 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。

3 upheavals   

突然的巨变( upheaval的名词复数 )； 大动荡； 大变动； 胀起

参考例句：

• the latest upheavals in the education system 最近教育制度上的种种变更
• These political upheavals might well destroy the whole framework of society. 这些政治动乱很可能会破坏整个社会结构。

4 recurring   

adj.往复的，再次发生的

参考例句：

• This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
• For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言，它经过了一个反复考验的时期。

5 pulverized   

adj.[医]雾化的，粉末状的v.将…弄碎( pulverize的过去式和过去分词 )；将…弄成粉末或尘埃；摧毁；粉碎

参考例句：

• We pulverized the opposition. 我们彻底击败了对手。
• He pulverized the opposition with the force of his oratory. 他能言善辩把对方驳得体无完肤。 来自辞典例句

6 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

7 whitewashed   

粉饰，美化，掩饰( whitewash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The wall had been whitewashed. 墙已粉过。
• The towers are in the shape of bottle gourds and whitewashed. 塔呈圆形，状近葫芦，外敷白色。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文

8 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

9 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

10 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

11 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

12 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

13 shards   

n.（玻璃、金属或其他硬物的）尖利的碎片( shard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyewitnesses spoke of rocks and shards of glass flying in the air. 目击者称空中石块和玻璃碎片四溅。 来自辞典例句
• Ward, Josh Billings, and a host of others have survived only in scattered shards of humour. 沃德、比林斯和许多别的作家能够留传下来的只是些幽默的残章断简。 来自辞典例句

14 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

15 invaders   

入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They prepared to repel the invaders. 他们准备赶走侵略军。
• The family has traced its ancestry to the Norman invaders. 这个家族将自己的世系追溯到诺曼征服者。

16 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

17 aspire   

vi.(to，after)渴望，追求，有志于

参考例句：

• Living together with you is what I aspire toward in my life.和你一起生活是我一生最大的愿望。
• I aspire to be an innovator not a follower.我迫切希望能变成个开创者而不是跟随者。

18 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

19 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

20 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

21 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

22 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

23 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

24 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

25 blocs   

n.集团，联盟( bloc的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The division of Europe into warring blocs produces ever-increasing centrifugal stress. 把欧洲分为作战集团产生了越来越大的离心效果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The policy of the two blocs was played out. 把世界分为两个集团的政策已经过时了。 来自辞典例句

26 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。