Ukrainian civilians are inspired to train for a possible war with Russia

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Ukrainian civilians² are inspired to train for a possible war with Russia

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Russia's army is vastly stronger than even the new and improved Ukrainian armed forces, because of that Ukrainian civilians are training to fight a guerrilla war if Russian troops invade.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

As Ukrainians prepare for a possible Russian invasion, citizens are volunteering for territorial⁴ defense⁵ battalions⁷. In the capital, in Kyiv, people turned out every weekend for military training. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley went to watch.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Non-English language spoken).

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE⁹: On the edge of a forest outside Kyiv, a group of about 60 men and women line up to begin six hours of military tactical training on a frigid¹⁰ Saturday morning. Civilian¹ clothes are left inside cars parked along the dirt road. Dressed in battle fatigues¹¹ and cradling guns, some of them wooden replicas¹², this group is ready for action. Yegor Soboliev says he signed up after Russian President Vladimir Putin began to move troops to Ukraine's border.

YEGOR SOBOLIEV: This is a very good way of being trained for people who do have jobs, do have families, older people. And I think this will change the situation with our security dramatically. Ukraine, like Israel, should be prepared for war for our independence every minute.

BEARDSLEY: Eastern Ukraine is already embroiled¹³ in a separatist war fueled by Russia. Civilians here reckon there's a 50-50 chance Russian troops will now invade. The deputy chief of this battalion⁶, 50-year-old Vlas Honcharuk says these citizens need to be able to defend their cities block by block.

VLAS HONCHARUK: How do I feel now? A little bit tired but pumped up. Why I'm here? Because I'm Ukrainian. There's a war going on. Because Putin actually is the Hitler of 21st century. History repeats.

BEARDSLEY: Today, the trainees¹⁴ learn how to shoot and crawl in the forest. A partially¹⁵ constructed cement factory provides the perfect setting to practice urban guerrilla tactics.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Non-English language spoken).

BEARDSLEY: Some volunteers already have a little military experience. Many are in their 40s and 50s and remember when Russians and Ukrainians were Soviet¹⁶ brothers. They say Ukraine did not have such a strong separate identity after independence in 1991, but now, thanks to Putin's military aggression¹⁷ and propaganda, says Honcharuk, a true Ukrainian nation is being forged.

HONCHARUK: Why they started this war? Because they don't even consider Ukraine as a proper nation.

BEARDSLEY: Fifty-five-year-old digital marketer and part-time diving instructor¹⁸ Oleksiy Vasylchenko says in 2014, when Putin took Crimea from Ukraine and stirred up the fighting in the East, he poisoned relations between Ukrainians and Russians, many of whom were still close after the Soviet collapse¹⁹.

OLEKSIY VASYLCHENKO: A lot of my friends, my relatives, call me and say that we are fascists²¹ here because the Russian propaganda all the time says that Ukrainian is nationalist, is fascist²⁰, and they kill only because people speak in Russian language.

BEARDSLEY: Utter fabrication, he says, because everyone in Kyiv spoke⁸ Russian. But now, because of Putin, people are switching to Ukrainian, he says. They also now feel their values are closer to European values. Marta Yuzkiv, a doctor, says people feel they're fighting for something bigger.

MARTA YUZKIV: I would like to say that we are in danger now. So - and this is danger not just for Ukraine but danger for the whole democratic world. So - and I hope altogether we could stop Putin. And I know that all Ukrainian partners are supporting us in this effort, so we are grateful for this.

BEARDSLEY: Grateful for military help from NATO, she says. If Putin invades, that support would increase not only for the Ukrainian army but likely for the tens of thousands of highly motivated volunteers in Ukraine's territorial defense forces.

Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Kyiv.

1 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。

2 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

3 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。

4 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

5 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。

6 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。

7 battalions   

n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍

参考例句：

• God is always on the side of the strongest battalions. 上帝总是帮助强者。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Two battalions were disposed for an attack on the air base. 配置两个营的兵力进攻空军基地。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 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。

9 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。

10 frigid   

adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的

参考例句：

• The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨，他在下面呆不了太长时间。
• She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。

11 fatigues   

n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服

参考例句：

• The patient fatigues easily. 病人容易疲劳。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Instead of training the men were put on fatigues/fatigue duty. 那些士兵没有接受训练，而是派去做杂务。 来自辞典例句

12 replicas   

n.复制品( replica的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His hobby is building replicas of cars. 他的爱好是制作汽车的复制品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The replicas are made by using a thin film of fusible alloy on a stiffening platen. 复制是用附着在加强托板上的可熔合金薄膜实现的。 来自辞典例句

13 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 trainees   

新兵( trainee的名词复数 )； 练习生； 接受训练的人； 训练中的动物

参考例句：

• We've taken on our full complement of new trainees. 我们招收的新学员已经满额了。
• The trainees were put through an assault course. 受训人员接受了突击训练课程。

15 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

16 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。

17 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

18 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

19 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。

20 fascist   

adj.法西斯主义的；法西斯党的；n.法西斯主义者，法西斯分子

参考例句：

• The strikers were roughed up by the fascist cops.罢工工人遭到法西斯警察的殴打。
• They succeeded in overthrowing the fascist dictatorship.他们成功推翻了法西斯独裁统治。

21 fascists   

n.法西斯主义的支持者( fascist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists. 老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Zoya heroically bore the torture that the Fascists inflicted upon her. 卓娅英勇地承受法西斯匪徒加在她身上的酷刑。 来自《简明英汉词典》