A cruise ship in Tallinn, Estonia, is housing Ukrainian refugees

A cruise ship in Tallinn, Estonia, is housing Ukrainian refugees

Transcript¹

More than 5 million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia invaded. Tens of thousands are in Estonia, where people remember what it was like to be occupied by the former Soviet² Union.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

More than 5 million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia invaded in late February. Tens of thousands are in Estonia. Estonia shares a border with Russia, and it's a place where people remember what it was like to be occupied by the former Soviet Union. NPR correspondent Jenna McLaughlin is on board a cruise ship in the harbor of Estonia's capital city, Tallinn, a ship that's now housing some of those refugees. Jenna, what's it like on board?

JENNA MCLAUGHLIN, BYLINE³: So - hi. Good morning, A. We arrived this morning on board the Isabelle in the Port of Tallinn. Normally, this ship takes people overnight between Riga in Latvia to Stockholm, Sweden. But in March, the Estonian government asked the cruise company to host refugees, who were overflowing⁴ from downtown hotels. And they said, yes. They canceled the summer's cruise service for this ship. Ukrainian families are temporarily living on the ship, mostly women and children. They arrived with almost nothing from different parts of Ukraine. But they've been welcomed by Estonians, who are donating toys, clothes, even household goods like lamps. Today, many people are working on computers or relaxing in the sun. The kids have been adjusting pretty well. But it's been difficult for women, particularly at night.

I spoke⁵ to Ylena Chovgun (ph) and her sister Ana (ph) who's 16. Ylena's 30. They came here with their mother, who is already at work at a sewing factory in Tallinn. They've been spending their days looking for more permanent housing in Tallinn and sightseeing. Her sister's actually an artist at a local art school. But things are really uncertain for them. They came from Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, where war has been raging for eight years already. Their grandparents are still there. They talk on the phone every day. And they really want to return because to them, it's home.

MART?NEZ: We know so many of these refugees fled to Estonia. Any sense of what the numbers are?

MCLAUGHLIN: Absolutely. The Estonian government actually estimates that around 30,000 Ukrainian refugees have come through Estonia, and on this ship, there are about 1,500. It's kind of mind-blowing.

MART?NEZ: Yeah. Any other sense of what else Estonia is doing?

MCLAUGHLIN: A lot, actually. The Estonian government is giving Ukraine a huge stockpile of weapons and defense⁶ equipment, more than a lot of countries several times its size in Europe. I actually spoke to permanent secretary of defense earlier this week, Kusti Salm. Here's what he said about Estonia's support for Ukraine.

KUSTI SALM: Up to date, we have sent lethal⁷ aid north of 230 million euros.

MCLAUGHLIN: That's about $250 million. There are also a ton of Estonian volunteers, particularly in the flourishing tech sector⁸. We spoke to several who are sending convoys⁹ of vehicles, drones and even more to Ukraine. And they're helping¹⁰ relocate refugees using job relocation software, for example.

MART?NEZ: So why is this so important to Estonians to extend this kind of welcome?

MCLAUGHLIN: It's really because the war in Ukraine is deeply emotional for Estonians. This tiny Baltic nation gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and everyone we've spoken to says they never want history to repeat itself again. They're honestly surprised and pleased that the West has finally started to show some real unity¹¹ and strength against Russian aggression¹², something that they've been fearful of, many for their whole lives. Estonians really feel a kinship with Ukrainians. We were even told the flag factory is working overtime¹³ to print Ukrainian flags. We're seeing them everywhere.

MART?NEZ: That's NPR correspondent Jenna McLaughlin. Jenna, thanks a lot.

MCLAUGHLIN: Thank you, A.

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 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。

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 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。

5 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。

6 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。

7 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

8 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

9 convoys   

n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队

参考例句：

• Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目，直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句

10 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。

11 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

12 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。

13 overtime   

adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地

参考例句：

• They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
• He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。