VOA新闻杂志2023--Ukraine Says It Is Developing Attack Drones

Ukraine Says It Is Developing Attack Drones

A Ukrainian official says the country is developing attack drones designed to fight against Russian military aircraft.

Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation¹, Mykhailo Fedorov, told The Associated Press the country wants to expand its use of drones in the war against Russia. Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February.

So far, Ukraine has mostly used drones for military observation activities. But Fedorov said the next step is to develop drones with increased battle abilities. "These are both exploding drones and drones that fly up to three to 10 kilometers and hit targets," he said.

Russian officials have accused Ukraine of launching several drone strikes on military bases in recent weeks. In one attack, Russia said its forces shot down a drone entering the Engels airbase. The airbase sits inside Russia, about 600 kilometers from Ukraine's border.

Russia's military said debris³ from the Ukrainian drone killed three soldiers but did not damage any aircraft. The base keeps bomber⁴ aircraft that Russia has used in attacks against Ukraine.

Ukrainian military officials have not officially admitted to carrying out such drone strikes. Russia has used Iranian-made Shahed drones for its airstrikes in Ukrainian territory in recent weeks. Russia has used drones along with other weapons, including rockets, guided missiles and artillery⁵.

Fedorov told the AP, "I can say already that the situation regarding drones will change drastically in February or March."

In his position, Fedorov oversees⁶ the country's internet and mobile communication systems. He admitted that it had been difficult to keep mobile communications operating for both civilian⁷ and military purposes during the war.

At times, Fedorov said, fewer than half of mobile phone towers are operating in the capital, Kyiv. That is because Russian airstrikes have destroyed or damaged equipment that powers them.

Ukraine's government is currently trying to link the country's mobile phone towers to back-up power systems so they can keep operating when airstrikes damage equipment.

The only back-up systems currently available are ones like the Starlink satellite internet service. Starlink is owned and operated by American technology company SpaceX.

Starlink is designed to provide high-speed internet service to rural and under-connected areas of the world. SpaceX chief Elon Musk⁸ began providing the service in Ukraine during the early days of the war after Fedorov tweeted a request to Musk.

About 24,000 Starlink stations are already in operation in Ukraine. The country is currently seeking support from its European Union partners to help bring at least 10,000 more stations to Ukraine.

Fedorov compared Space X's donation of the Starlink system to other military equipment supplied by the United States. He noted⁹ the satellite internet service has helped the country's military improve its defense¹⁰ abilities against Russian forces. "Thousands of lives were saved," he said.

Fedorov added that his ministry¹¹ – which was created just three years ago – currently spends about 70 percent of its time on developing military technologies.

Words in This Story

drone – n. a pilotless aircraft

debris – n. broken items or waste material

drastic – adj. extreme or sever² in effect or action

mobile – adj. able to move or be moved easily

tower – n. a very tall, narrow building, or part of a building

1 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

2 sever   

v.切开，割开；断绝，中断

参考例句：

• She wanted to sever all her connections with the firm.她想断绝和那家公司的所有联系。
• We must never sever the cultural vein of our nation.我们不能割断民族的文化血脉。

3 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

4 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

5 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

6 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

7 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。

8 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 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。

11 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。