美国国家公共电台 NPR--There are signs Ukraine's spring counteroffensive may have already started

There are signs Ukraine's spring counteroffensive may have already started

Transcript¹

Ukrainian forces claim they've made advances in the battle for Bakhmut — a city in the east that Russia has been trying to capture for more than 10 months.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Ukraine has been talking for weeks about a spring counteroffensive, and there are signs that it may have already started.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Yeah. Ukrainian forces claim they've made advances in the battle for Bakhmut, a city in the east that Russia has been trying to capture for more than 10 months. This comes as Russia is launching more missiles at Ukraine as it attempts to degrade Ukrainian defenses.

FADEL: Joining us to discuss the recent developments is NPR's Ukraine correspondent Joanna Kakissis, who is in the central city of Dnipro.

Hi, Joanna.

JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE³: Hi, Leila.

FADEL: So let's start with Bakhmut. For weeks now, we've heard Russian forces control most of the city. Has anything changed?

KAKISSIS: So inside the city, Leila, the situation is pretty much the same. The Russians still control most of it. The fighting continues - lots of dead soldiers on both sides, with the city in absolute ruins. But outside Bakhmut, Ukraine says their soldiers are actually gaining. Ukraine's deputy defense² minister, Hanna Maliar, says Ukrainian troops have recently taken back 7.5 square miles of land just outside the city.

FADEL: So, Joanna, does this mean that the counteroffensive may be starting, then?

KAKISSIS: So some military analysts⁴, especially here, are saying as much. But the truth is we don't know. President Zelenskyy has said that the counteroffensive will start soon, but Ukraine still needs more weapons from the West. Ukrainians are very eager for this counteroffensive to start. We saw that in Kherson, where we just spent a few days reporting. Ukrainian forces liberated⁵ the city of Kherson in November. But Russian forces are less than a mile away on the other side of the river, and they attack the city nearly every day. We were there shortly after 26 people died in missile attacks, including an attack at a supermarket where we shop when we're in town. We spoke⁶ to Special Forces soldiers in Kherson who say, you know, we've been laying the groundwork for a counteroffensive for months, and they say that they're ready.

FADEL: And what about the situation for Russian forces? Are they making any progress?

KAKISSIS: So with the exception of Bakhmut, they've made very little progress on the ground. But Russia has been attacking Ukraine with a lot of missiles in the past few days. On Monday night, the Russians launched a barrage⁷ of missiles and drones that included six hypersonic missiles, which Russia claims are almost impossible to shoot down. Yet Ukraine says its air defenses, which include Western weapons - that these air defenses got them all. And now the West is promising⁸ more weapons after Zelenskyy's whirlwind trip to European capitals in the past week. That trip might actually give Ukraine the advanced F-16 fighter jets that Zelenskyy has long sought.

FADEL: So before I let you go, I also wanted to ask about the deal that's been allowing Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea to avoid a global food crisis. Where does that stand right now?

KAKISSIS: Yeah. There's a chance, Leila, that that deal is going to collapse⁹. Russia has been saying for months that it doesn't like the deal, that it has hidden sanctions on its own agricultural products. This deal was brokered¹⁰ last year by the U.N. and Turkey to help get Ukrainian grain, which helps feed the world, out of a war zone. And the last ship before this deal expires is expected to leave Ukraine today.

FADEL: NPR's Ukraine correspondent Joanna Kakissis reporting in Dnipro on the possible start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Thank you for your reporting.

KAKISSIS: You're welcome.

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 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。

4 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。

5 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 barrage   

n.火力网，弹幕

参考例句：

• The attack jumped off under cover of a barrage.进攻在炮火的掩护下开始了。
• The fierce artillery barrage destroyed the most part of the city in a few minutes.猛烈的炮火几分钟内便毁灭了这座城市的大部分地区。

8 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。

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 brokered   

adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• a peace plan brokered by the UN 由联合国出面协商的和平计划
• Your husband brokered the deal to go in, transfrer the assets and get our man out. 你丈夫后来插了一脚，把生意都抢了过去，我们的人也被挤了出来。 来自电影对白