美国国家公共电台 NPR--Russia makes a tactical advance in Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine

Russia makes a tactical advance in Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine

Transcript¹

Intense fighting continues in and around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Russia and a Kremlin-aligned² mercenary force have made small advances in nearby villages in recent days.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

In Ukraine, Russia and mercenaries aligned with the Kremlin have made small advances in recent days. Officials say intense fighting is continuing in and around the eastern city of Bakhmut.

DWANE BROWN, HOST:

Those advances could lead to Bakhmut becoming encircled. It would be a rare military victory for Russia, however small.

FADEL: To understand what this means for the ongoing³ war in Ukraine, we turn to NPR's Elissa Nadworny, who's in Kyiv.

Morning, Elissa.

ELISSA NADWORNY, BYLINE⁴: Good morning.

FADEL: So a rare Russian success - how big of a deal is this?

NADWORNY: Yeah. So we're actually talking about a small settlement in the eastern part of Ukraine in the Donbas. The Wagner group, a mercenary force run by a friend of Vladimir Putin, has been fighting to take this area since summer. So there is conflicting word on who controls this village of Soledar, known for its salt mine. Ukraine's defense⁵ ministry⁶ says fighting is still happening.

The leader of Wagner has been posting to Telegram with tempered gains. Capturing Soledar - that would allow Russia to potentially envelop⁷ Bakhmut. These minor⁸ tactical advances - like, we're talking block-by-block gains by Russia - they're significant mostly because Russia has struggled to make any operational gains. So they're standing⁹ out because they're so rare. But it doesn't mean it's a Russian turning point.

Karolina Hird is a Russia analyst¹⁰ at the Institute for the Study of War, and she says the real significance is the cost of this advance for Russia.

KAROLINA HIRD: The Ukrainians have very, very successfully pinned Russian forces up against Soledar and Bakhmut for six months and use this to basically just continue pulling Russian troops, Russian equipment to this area and basically burning through it.

NADWORNY: Hird made clear that the Russian capture of Soledar - it doesn't guarantee that Bakhmut will be encircled.

FADEL: OK, Elissa, but help us understand the significance of Bakhmut. Like, why does Russia want this area so badly?

NADWORNY: Yeah. So - well, there is a highway system that runs through Bakhmut, which is helpful for Ukrainian communication, moving troops. President Zelenskyy recently visited Bakhmut just before his trip to the U.S. Congress. And hold Bakhmut has kind of become this rallying cry here in Ukraine. The fighting there, Zelenskyy said, has brought Ukraine additional time and military power. I talked with Oleh Zhdanov, a Ukrainian military expert here. He says for Russia and the Wagner group, winning here sends a strong message home.

OLEH ZHDANOV: (Non-English language spoken).

NADWORNY: "For Russia," he says, "there's no real military significance to Bakhmut. Rather, it's a political one, a message that Putin and the Wagner group can bring back to the Russian people."

FADEL: OK. I'm going to take a turn for a second. The U.S. says it's going to start training Ukrainian soldiers in the United States. How could that help Ukraine?

NADWORNY: Well, it's going to help defend against Russian air attacks, which have happened frequently throughout the (inaudible). So starting as early as next week, about a hundred Ukrainian troops will come to a military base in Oklahoma to get trained on the Patriot¹¹ missile defense system. So this is a air defense weapon that Ukrainians have been asking for for quite some time. The training is going to happen at Fort Sill. And it's expected to last several months, according to the Pentagon. So that's defending the air.

For the ground fight, there are more weapons heading to Ukraine, among them armored vehicles from Germany, France and the U.S. And there's hope that this wave of weapons from Europe will keep growing, perhaps more from the U.K., others, like tanks, fighter jets and longer-range missiles.

FADEL: NPR's Elissa Nadworny in Kyiv. Thanks, Elissa, and stay safe.

NADWORNY: Thanks, Leila.

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 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

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 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。

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 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 envelop   

vt.包，封，遮盖；包围

参考例句：

• All combine to form a layer of mist to envelop this region.织成一层烟雾又笼罩着这个地区。
• The dust cloud will envelop the planet within weeks.产生的尘云将会笼罩整个星球长达几周。

8 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。