Russian missile hits a train station in Kramatorsk, Ukrainian government says

Russian missile hits a train station in Kramatorsk, Ukrainian government says

Transcript¹

In the eastern region of Ukraine, authorities say dozens of civilians³ were killed when a missile hit a train station. Ukrainian officials say the station was full of people trying to evacuate⁴.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Local officials in eastern Ukraine say a Russian missile strike on a train station has left dozens dead or injured. Russia denies responsibility, calling the claims a provocation⁵ by Ukraine. NPR's Nathan Rott is following this story from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and joins us now. And a quick word of warning before we start - some listeners may find the news upsetting. Hi, Nate.

NATHAN ROTT, BYLINE⁶: Hey, Leila.

FADEL: So what else can you tell us about this strike?

ROTT: Yeah, so we know that the missile strike happened in the city of Kramatorsk, a city in eastern Ukraine, at about 10:30 in the morning local time. The videos that are being circulated by Ukrainian officials and journalists and civilians all show the aftermath of this alleged⁷ missile strike, and they're very disturbing. There are multiple people in civilian² clothes who all appear to be deceased. They're laying next to luggage and bags. There's a stroller in at least one photo. And we know that this is a place where lots of civilians have been coming to in recent days to try and board trains bound for safer parts of the country. Here's Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, talking through an interpreter earlier today.

PAVLO KYRYLENKO: (Through interpreter) That's what I - well, I've always been emphasizing - that they will try to create panic, and they will hit the local population, local civilians. They monitor the radio stations. They know where to hit, where to strike.

ROTT: So obviously Kyrylenko believes that this was a deliberately⁸ targeted strike at the train station. He also said cluster munitions⁹ were used. We have not been able to confirm that.

FADEL: All those people killed at a place where they were trying to escape to somewhere safer. You know, this war has been going on for over a month. Why are so many people leaving the area now?

ROTT: Well, it seems like there's this kind of broader repositioning happening with the war. I wouldn't say there's a lull¹⁰ in the war because, I mean, as we know, there's still a lot of fighting happening in the east and the south. But Russian troops have withdrawn¹¹ from around where I am in Kyiv and the northern part of the country.

FADEL: Right.

ROTT: They now say they're focused on the eastern part of Ukraine. And while, you know, Ukrainian military officials here have been really reluctant to say where exactly and what exactly their troops are doing, we have talked to soldiers in Kyiv over the last few days who have said that many of the troops here are repositioning to the east. So there is a belief that the fighting is really going to intensify¹² in eastern Ukraine in the coming days and weeks, and Ukrainian officials and local governors have been urging people that are still in those regions to leave if they have not already.

FADEL: Do we know how many civilians are still there?

ROTT: We really don't. I mean, we know that roughly 10 million people, pretty much a quarter of the entire Ukrainian population, has already been displaced in this conflict. I mean, you met the huge waves of people...

FADEL: Yeah.

ROTT: ...That were fleeing from these regions when you were over here, Leila, you know?

FADEL: Right.

ROTT: And I actually talked to a family from Kramatorsk, where this train station was hit, when I was in Lviv a little more than a week ago, and they told me that they left then because Ukrainian soldiers had come to their house and said, if you have the ability to leave, you should because it's going to make it easier for us to fight the Russians back when they come. So I think there's been an understanding for a while that this is where the fight is going and that it could be very ugly.

FADEL: And all of this comes just a day after NATO foreign ministers met in Brussels, vowing¹³ more military aid for Ukraine and more sanctions on Russia. But Ukrainian officials are warning if they don't get more soon, many more civilians will die, right?

ROTT: Yeah, so the word from Ukraine's top defense¹⁴ officials is that this is going to get worse. That's why they're strongly telling people to leave areas while they still have a chance. And that's why they're pushing NATO and the U.S. to get more involved and to give them heavier weapons - fighter jets, tanks, anti-aircraft systems. That has not happened, really, to the degree that Ukrainian officials would like to see, but I think they're hoping that with all the images we've been seeing recently, that might change.

FADEL: NPR's Nathan Rott in Kyiv, thank you for all your reporting, and stay safe.

ROTT: Thanks.

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 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

3 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

4 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

5 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

8 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

9 munitions   

n.军火，弹药；v.供应…军需品

参考例句：

• The army used precision-guided munitions to blow up enemy targets.军队用精确瞄准的枪炮炸掉敌方目标。
• He rose [made a career for himself] by dealing in munitions.他是靠贩卖军火发迹的。

10 lull   

v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇

参考例句：

• The drug put Simpson in a lull for thirty minutes.药物使辛普森安静了30分钟。
• Ground fighting flared up again after a two-week lull.经过两个星期的平静之后，地面战又突然爆发了。

11 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

12 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

13 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

14 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。