Putin orders troops not to storm Mariupol's last holdout

Putin orders troops not to storm Mariupol's last holdout

Transcript¹

Russian President Vladimir Putin claims to control Ukraine's port city of Mariupol, but fighting continues and Ukrainian forces are holding out in a steel mill.

Putin ordered his defense² minister in a televised meeting not to storm the steel plant complex, saying he would rather keep it sealed off "so that not even a fly comes through," and to avoid losing more Russian soldiers' lives.

A senior U.S. defense official said the fighting there and in the eastern Donbas region is ongoing³. A flight with more military aid announced by President Biden will start arriving in Ukraine this weekend, the official said.

Ukrainian media were quick to discount this announcement, saying Ukrainian troops remain in the city and are continuing to destroy enemy equipment.

Photos: Mariupol evacuations fail as the U.S. agrees to more aid for Ukraine

THE PICTURE SHOW

Photos: As Russia moves on eastern Ukraine, soldiers refuse to surrender Mariupol

It's unclear how abandoning the effort to take over the last Ukrainian holdout in the city could be portrayed⁴ as a Russian success. But the fact that Russia appears to be switching tactics and taking a pause from repeated attacks is itself a significant development.

Civilian⁵ evacuations are stalled in Mariupol

Ukrainian soldiers and civilians⁶ remain in the steel plant, and they've been focused on trying to evacuate⁷ people from the city.

A deal struck between Russia and Ukraine for a humanitarian⁸ corridor Wednesday fell through, with only four buses able to leave despite officials' hopes of evacuating⁹ thousands of people.

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Russia hammers Mariupol, telling Ukraine to surrender to avoid more death

Ukrainian officials claim that Russia wouldn't hold to the ceasefire, and are hoping to send in more buses Thursday.

Those who manage to flee face harrowing journeys

Russian forces are massing in the Donbas, as many civilians try to escape from Russian-held territory.

They include Sergei Protsenko, a restauranteur from Kherson, which is near the front lines of fighting in southern Ukraine. Protsenko crossed nine different Russian-held checkpoints to make it into Ukrainian-held territory and says he was told to strip down to see if he had any tattoos¹⁰ related to the Ukrainian military.

Now in Odesa, smoking a cigarette and looking out at the sea, he says he feels a huge sense of relief.

Hopes for a peace plan are mixed

Some Ukrainian officials believe there's an upside in talking to the Russian government on specific issues, like humanitarian corridors and prisoner-of-war exchanges.

Meet Patron, a bomb-sniffing Jack¹¹ Russell terrier who has become a Ukrainian hero

UKRAINE INVASION — EXPLAINED

Meet Patron, a bomb-sniffing Jack Russell terrier who has become a Ukrainian hero

But talks for a broader agreement that could end the war don't look promising¹² at this moment.

And it was after the most recent round of peace talks that Russia withdrew from the areas around Kyiv, leaving evidence of atrocities¹³ in places like Bucha and prompting a dramatic shift in public opinion nearly overnight.

Even many people inclined against violence said there could be no negotiations¹⁴ with the Russian government as photos emerged of mass graves and civilians killed and bound in the streets.

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Looking ahead, any serious negotiations may not take place until the results of the next Russian offensive are clear.

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 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。

3 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。

4 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 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。

6 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。

7 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。

8 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

9 evacuating   

撤离，疏散( evacuate的现在分词 )； 排空（胃肠），排泄（粪便）； （从危险的地方）撤出，搬出，撤空

参考例句：

• The solution is degassed by alternately freezing, evacuating and thawing. 通过交替的冻结、抽空和溶化来使溶液除气。
• Are we evacuating these potential targets? 能够在这些目标地域内进行疏散吗？

10 tattoos   

n.文身( tattoo的名词复数 )；归营鼓；军队夜间表演操；连续有节奏的敲击声v.刺青，文身( tattoo的第三人称单数 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的胳膊上刺满了花纹。
• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的双臂刺满了纹身。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

12 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

13 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 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。