美国国家公共电台 NPR--Russia says Ukraine tried to attack the Kremlin in an attempt to assassinate Putin

Russia says Ukraine tried to attack the Kremlin in an attempt to assassinate¹ Putin

Transcript²

The Kremlin, the home and office of the Russian leader in the center of Moscow, was hit by a pair of drones. But who did it and how? That's the subject of a fierce debate between Russia and Ukraine.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Ukrainian officials are denying involvement in an alleged³ drone attack on the Kremlin.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Russia's accusing Ukraine of attempting to use a pair of drones to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. Video emerged online showing explosions in the center of Moscow, above the Kremlin.

MART?NEZ: But who did it and how? That is now the subject of a fierce debate between Russia and Ukraine. Here to break it all down, we're joined by NPR's Greg Myre. Greg, facts are a bit thin right now, but we can at least talk about some motives⁴. So why wouldn't Ukraine be the most likely suspect?

GREG MYRE, BYLINE⁵: Well, they certainly seem to be, A. we keep seeing these increasingly brazen⁶ attacks, some up to a couple hundred miles inside Russia. Almost all of them are carried out with drones. And Ukrainians have been speaking openly about the possibility of drones that could reach Moscow. This includes comments by the military intelligence chief who said recently that Ukraine was close to developing a drone that could reach Moscow, more than 300 miles away. And a Ukrainian tech entrepreneur has offered a half million dollars to anyone who could land a drone in Red Square, just outside the Kremlin walls.

MART?NEZ: Yeah, but Ukraine officially announced it's not us.

MYRE: Correct. Here's Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking yesterday during a visit to Finland.

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PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: We don't attack Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory. We are defending our villages and cities.

MYRE: Now, in the past, Ukraine has been very coy, neither confirming nor denying attacks inside Russia. So Zelenskyy's very direct denial is different than what we usually hear.

MART?NEZ: All right, then who else might be a suspect?

MYRE: Well, some Ukrainian officials have suggested, without evidence, that Russia may have staged this attack against itself. The Ukrainians say Russia is calling this an assassination⁷ attempt against President Vladimir Putin and could then use that accusation⁸ to carry out a major attack it was already planning to do. But so far, these are unfounded claims. And also, this attack on the Kremlin is hugely embarrassing for Russia. Putin launched this invasion last year with the expectation he would capture Ukraine and its capital in a matter of days. Now the headline is, Putin Survives Attack On The Kremlin.

MART?NEZ: Wow. But, you know, the Kremlin has layers of security. So how could something like this happen in a place that's really so heavily guarded?

MYRE: Well, that's probably the question Russian security officials are pondering today. But we have seen repeated Russian security lapses⁹ in this war, particularly by the Air Force. And if we go back a couple decades, there's some history at this very spot. In 1987, when the Soviet¹⁰ Union still existed, a West German teenager, Mathias Rust¹¹, flew a small Cessna plane several hundred miles and touched down on the edge of Red Square. Now, he was promptly¹² arrested, and shortly after that, several top Soviet Air Force officials lost their jobs.

MART?NEZ: All right. Let's look ahead, though, and kind of think about what this latest attack on the Kremlin might mean on the battlefield in the coming days.

MYRE: So first, we're looking to see how Russia responds. Russia did fire more missiles and drones at Kyiv and other cities today, but a number similar to what we've seen in recent days. And then second, we were already looking for a major Ukrainian ground offensive. There's a strong sense that this campaign could begin very soon. And the focus is expected to be on southeastern Ukraine, where Russian forces are dug in.

MART?NEZ: All right. That's NPR's Greg Myre. Greg, thanks.

MYRE: Sure thing, A.

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1 assassinate   

vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤

参考例句：

• The police exposed a criminal plot to assassinate the president.警方侦破了一个行刺总统的阴谋。
• A plot to assassinate the banker has been uncovered by the police.暗杀银行家的密谋被警方侦破了。

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 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

4 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

5 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。

6 brazen   

adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的

参考例句：

• The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。
• Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败，而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。

7 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

8 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

9 lapses   

n.失误，过失( lapse的名词复数 )；小毛病；行为失检；偏离正道v.退步( lapse的第三人称单数 )；陷入；倒退；丧失

参考例句：

• He sometimes lapses from good behavior. 他有时行为失检。 来自辞典例句
• He could forgive attacks of nerves, panic, bad unexplainable actions, all sorts of lapses. 他可以宽恕突然发作的歇斯底里，惊慌失措，恶劣的莫名其妙的动作，各种各样的失误。 来自辞典例句

10 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。

11 rust   

n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退

参考例句：

• She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。
• The rain will rust the iron roof.雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。

12 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。