2006年VOA标准英语-Russian-British Spy Flap Entangles Pro-Wes

By Lisa McAdams
Moscow
26 January 2006

Russian President Vladimir Putin says allegations that surfaced this week that British spies are funding non-governmental Russian charities justifies¹ the controversial new law on the financing of such organizations. Members of Russia's non-governmental-organization community, independent rights groups, and political analysts³ say a far more chilling purpose may be behind the purported⁴ discovery.

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State-run television was the first to broadcast the allegations that Russian security agents had cracked a British spy ring in Moscow that was reportedly connected to charities advocating human rights and civil society issues in Russia.

According to the television documentary, the British spies were allegedly caught downloading classified information from a communications system planted inside a fake rock in a Moscow park. While pro-Kremlin loyalists were touting⁶ the security agency, known as the FSB, for unearthing⁷ the alleged⁵ scam, there was an outcry from the scant⁸ remains⁹ of Russia's independent press.

The opposition¹⁰ business daily, Kommersant, said the FSB is using the spy scandal to discredit¹¹ human rights defenders¹² in Russia. 

 
Vladimir Putin speaks at  news conference after summit of Eurasian Economic Community in St. Petersburg
  
In his first public comments on the allegations, President Putin told leaders of several other former Soviet¹³ republics meeting in St. Petersburg that the scandal explains why Russia approved a law earlier this month regulating the financial activities of such organizations.

In comments broadcast on Russian television, Mr. Putin says the attempts by the British secret service to work with and influence Russian NGOs is regrettable. But he declined to specify¹⁴ whether the alleged agents would be expelled from Russia immediately.

Mr. Putin said Russia is still considering how to respond to the case. But those organizations accused and outside rights defenders have had something to say.

Yevgeny Ikhlov, who works at one of Russia's most established rights groups, named For Human Rights, tells VOA that paranoia¹⁵ within the Russian government is growing as evidenced by, what he says, is a clear attack on Russian charities financed by the West.

Ikhlov says the spy flap represents the signal rocket for the start of what he predicts will be a major attack on pro-western charitable organizations, especially those dealing¹⁶ with political or civil society issues. Ikhlov says he also believes the spy case is a bold-faced fabrication.

The deputy head of Moscow's USA-Canada Institute, Viktor Kremenyuk, says Russian officials have gone a long way toward promoting the idea that the West is trying to weaken Russia, in order to facilitate a political revolution like those seen in the past two years in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan.

"The timing¹⁷ was perfect because, yes, no sooner had the Duma passed the law and the president has signed it, on the NGOs, that immediately we have the evidence, hard evidence, that some of the NGOs are financed and sponsored by foreign intelligence services," he said. "It is rather clumsy, but I think that the majority of Russians will believe it."

But why involve Britain? According to Kremenyuk, it is related in part to the Kremlin's desire to prosecute¹⁸ so-called-oligarch Boris Berezovsky, who lives in Britain.

"The British have demonstrated unreliability in the eyes of the Russian president. He had very friendly relations with [British Prime Minister] Tony Blair, but that relationship did not lead him any closer to the Russian dissidents in London," he said. "Russian opponents of the Kremlin in London feel quite comfortable, protected by British law and [there is] no chance Mr. Blair will in anyway be helping¹⁹ Mr. Putin in somehow putting them under Kremlin control."

Kremenyuk notes Britain has also angered Russia over issues such as human rights, especially in Chechnya, where Russia remains mired²⁰ in a decade-old, guerrilla-style war with rebel Chechen separatists.

Other analysts say the attack on Britain is a way of warning the United States, which also funds Russian NGOs, not to support revolutionary political change in Russia. As one analyst² told the French news agency, AFP, it is inevitable²¹ Russia would choose to target the one country most closely associated with the United States.

But President Putin, who responded that noble aims can not be reached by ignoble²² means, says he wants to preserve respectful relations with other foreign states.

The Russian president has also repeatedly argued in the face of heated western criticism that the new law is no different than those governing charities in France, Israel, and the United States.

The latest developments have pro-Western groups in Russia worried. They fear the accusations²³ linking Russian charities to the alleged British spies could be used as a pretext²⁴ to crack down, or even halt their operations.

Andrei Kortunov, who heads the Eurasia Foundation in Moscow, tells VOA his organization is feeling a chilling effect after being named in the Russian documentary.

"Even now I can feel that there is a sort of caution among a number of our Russian partners about what they are cooperating with us [on] because, indeed, if some institutions are even suspected of being connected to foreign intelligence, these institutions can not really count on a very favorable attitude on the part of their partners," he said.

But Kortunov, and many of his colleagues say they will not stop receiving foreign funding as it is the lifeblood of thousands of such organizations in Russia.

Kortunov also expresses dismay that many civil society supporters in Russia and abroad seem to be operating under the notion that there is little left they can do, now that the law restricting charities (NGOs) is about to be implemented²⁵. He urges people to continue to fight for basic civil rights in Russia.

"We can still use the legal mechanisms²⁶ that we have and we can still try to influence the implementation²⁷ of the new law on NGOs," he continued. "And I hope that in these efforts we will not be alone, we will be acting²⁸ in coordination²⁹ with the international community at large."

Several countries and organizations, including Amnesty International, have criticized the new law on non-governmental charitable organizations, with Washington expressing serious concerns.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently said it will be necessary to monitor the way in which the law is applied³⁰. She also suggested Russia's behavior on this issue raises doubts about its fitness to chair the upcoming Group of Eight Summit later this year.

1 justifies   

证明…有理( justify的第三人称单数 )； 为…辩护； 对…作出解释； 为…辩解（或辩护）

参考例句：

• Their frequency of use both justifies and requires the memorization. 频繁的使用需要记忆，也促进了记忆。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• In my judgement the present end justifies the means. 照我的意见，只要目的正当，手段是可以不计较的。

2 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。

3 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。

4 purported   

adj.传说的，谣传的v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• the scene of the purported crime 传闻中的罪案发生地点
• The film purported to represent the lives of ordinary people. 这部影片声称旨在表现普通人的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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

6 touting   

v.兜售( tout的现在分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• He's been touting his novel around publishers for years. 他几年来一直到处找出版商兜售自己的小说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Technology industry leaders are touting cars as a hot area for growth. 科技产业领袖吹捧为增长热点地区的汽车。 来自互联网

7 unearthing   

发掘或挖出某物( unearth的现在分词 )； 搜寻到某事物，发现并披露

参考例句：

• And unearthing the past often means literally and studying the evidence. 通常，探寻往事在字面上即意味着——刨根究底。
• The unearthing of "Peking Man" was a remarkable discovery. “北京人”的出土是个非凡的发现。

8 scant   

adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略

参考例句：

• Don't scant the butter when you make a cake.做糕饼时不要吝惜奶油。
• Many mothers pay scant attention to their own needs when their children are small.孩子们小的时候，许多母亲都忽视自己的需求。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 discredit   

vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑

参考例句：

• Their behaviour has bought discredit on English football.他们的行为败坏了英国足球运动的声誉。
• They no longer try to discredit the technology itself.他们不再试图怀疑这种技术本身。

12 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 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。

14 specify   

vt.指定，详细说明

参考例句：

• We should specify a time and a place for the meeting.我们应指定会议的时间和地点。
• Please specify what you will do.请你详述一下你将做什么。

15 paranoia   

n.妄想狂，偏执狂；多疑症

参考例句：

• Her passion for cleanliness borders on paranoia.她的洁癖近乎偏执。
• The push for reform is also motivated by political paranoia.竞选的改革运动也受到政治偏执狂症的推动。

16 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

17 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

18 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

19 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

20 mired   

abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country was mired in recession. 这个国家陷入了经济衰退的困境。
• The most brilliant leadership can be mired in detail. 最有才干的领导也会陷于拘泥琐事的困境中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

21 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

22 ignoble   

adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的

参考例句：

• There's something cowardly and ignoble about such an attitude.这种态度有点怯懦可鄙。
• Some very great men have come from ignoble families.有些伟人出身低微。

23 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

24 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

25 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

26 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

28 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

29 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

30 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。