VOA新闻杂志2023--Russian Volunteers Joining Ukraine to Fight Russia

Russian Volunteers Joining Ukraine to Fight Russia

In Ukraine, a man who goes by his military name Karabas is training to fight against the Russian army. But Karabas is not from Ukraine. He is from Russia.

Karabas was living in Moscow when Russia invaded¹ Ukraine in February 2022. He was shocked and very upset, and he decided² to act.

He decided to find a way to get to Ukraine. There, he hoped to join troops fighting Russian forces.

It took him almost a year to make it happen.

Today, he is part of the Siberian Battalion³, a group of Russians who have joined the Ukrainian military to fight against their own country. Its members come mostly from ethnic⁴ minorities from Russia's far east.

They hope to someday help remove Russian President Vladimir Putin from power.

Karabas told The Associated Press that he was disappointed in the Russian people. He said he was upset that people were supporting Putin without thinking. And he was upset that they did not seem to care about the war.

"That is why I wanted to come here...and fight for a free Ukraine," he added.

Unlike other volunteer units in Ukraine with Russian nationals, the Siberian Battalion is officially part of the Ukrainian army. To enter the unit, fighters must pass strict security⁵ checks. This process can take up to a year.

Karabas went to Armenia first. There, he met Ukrainians and learned⁶ to speak the Ukrainian language. Now, he refuses to speak Russian.

The Ukrainian army is training the Siberian Battalion and sending them to the front lines in eastern Ukraine. That area has seen some of the deadliest fighting of the war. Russian and Ukrainian forces continue to fight for control of it.

Fighters in the battalion from eastern Siberia hope a Ukrainian victory will weaken⁷ or change Russia's control over their region⁸. The area is among the poorest in Russia. People from the area's Yakut and Buryat ethnic communities complain of racism⁹ and unfair use of power against them in Russia. This has made some activists¹⁰ call for independence.

Another Russian fighter, who goes by the name Holod, openly said he wants Putin's administration¹¹ removed from power.

"When this happens, we can talk about victory," he said.

Karabas and other Russians left their entire lives behind, including families and friends.

Some from the battalion have already been sent near Avdiivka, a Ukraine-controlled city in the Donetsk region. The Russian military has been fighting to take control of the area.

The battalion was created six months ago. It has fewer than 100 members, but Ukrainian military leaders hope more will join. Based on applications they have received, they are aiming to have up to 300 members in the unit.

Karabas said there may be tens or hundreds of thousands of other Russians like him, willing to fight with Ukraine.

"I think we should have a lot more (Russian fighters)," he said.

Words in This Story

disappointed -adj. unhappy with a result or situation

region -n. an area of a country

application -n. a formal, written request to enter a program or organization or get permission to do something.

1 invaded   

v.侵入，侵略( invade的过去式和过去分词 )；涌入；侵袭；侵犯

参考例句：

• Troops invaded on August 9th that year. 军队是在那年的8月9日入侵的。
• The diseased tissue can be easily invaded by these microorganisms. 有病的组织容易被微生物侵袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

4 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

5 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

6 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

7 weaken   

v.(使)变弱，(使)虚弱

参考例句：

• You can weaken the tea by adding water.你可以加水把茶弄得淡一些。
• We never weaken our efforts in face of difficulties.我们在困难面前从不软化我们的努力。

8 region   

n.地区，地带，区域；范围，幅度

参考例句：

• The students went to study the geology of that region.学生们去研究那个地区的地质情况。
• It is unusual to see snow in this region.这个地区难得见到雪。

9 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

10 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 administration   

n.经营，管理；行政，行政机关，管理部门

参考例句：

• Who is in charge of the administration of your company?你们公司的行政工作由谁负责？
• The teachers are responsible to the school administration.教师向学校行政负责。