Berdiansk: Ukrainian City at Crossroads

Berdiansk: Ukrainian City at Crossroads

Editor's note: This story is one of the winning entries from the "Teach Us about Ukraine" writing contest sponsored by VOA Learning English and GoGlobal.

Berdiansk is a Ukrainian city on the northern coast of the Azov Sea.

In peacetime, the resort city attracts people from all over the world who come to gain energy from the sun and the sea. During the war, it became a city of resistance, a place of hope for Ukrainians who found themselves under Russian occupation.

Berdiansk was founded in 1827, but according to archaeologists, life here was in full swing in the days of the Scythians, Greeks, Polovtsians, and Nogai. Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian, admired the lands while recalling his travels along the Azov Sea.

Townspeople love to tell the story of the origin of the city's name. Berda means "god-given, rich" in Turkic. At first, Berda was the name of the local river, and then the city was named after it, Berdiansk.

But the story goes back to the time of the Nogai, a Turkish ethnic¹ group, which inhabited the southern part of Ukraine in the 1500s. An old nomadic² leader named Berdy fell in love with a beautiful horsewoman, Tanai, who did not return his love and ran away to throw herself into the sea. The nomadic leader ordered a path made out of stones in the sea to catch the fleeing horsewoman. Tanai disappeared from the horizon. She did not drown but turned into a white-winged seagull. Now, a figure of a seagull girl is installed near the Museum of History of Berdiansk.

During peacetime, visitors come to the city during the summer and enjoy its many bars, discos, and cafes. There is the Safari³ Zoo with 140 species of animals and Aqualand, an entertainment complex. And its spiritual life includes Orthodox, Catholic, and German Lutheran churches.

The most famous person born in Berdiansk is Volodymyr Khavkin, a 19th-century scientist who developed vaccines⁴ against plague and cholera⁵. His contemporaries were Opanas Slastion, the artist who depicted⁶ Ukrainian history and life, and Trokhym Zinkivsky, who wanted to revive the Ukrainian nation.

One of the city's landmarks⁷ is the main building of Berdiansk University. Built in 1872, the building looks like the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft⁸ and Wizardry from the Harry⁹ Potter books. The medieval-style detail and red brick towers make it seem as if wizards really study there.

The city has monuments to summer residents who cultivated the land and the Nursing Bull who saved locals from starvation during World War II. There is a statue of a plumber¹⁰ climbing out of a manhole, a symbol of human vices¹¹, and the famous "wishing chair," where Ukrainians undoubtedly¹² wish for victory against invaders¹³.

The Upper Lighthouse, built in 1877, is one of the oldest lighthouses in Ukraine. It is still shining into the Azov Sea waiting for ships to return to the harbor. During peacetime, merchant ships flew the flags of many countries docked in Berdiansk, the largest port on the Azov Sea.

Russian troops have occupied the port city since February 2022. The city, known for its beaches and beautiful sunsets, is now filled with Russian troops and their military equipment.

In April 2022, RFE/RL reported that "Russian personnel had occupied the government buildings and transformed them into their bases of operation...There was no natural gas or mobile phone coverage¹⁴. Food, medicine, and fuel were in short supply. Explosions could be heard in the distance, and the occupying forces had appointed a ‘commandant' from among their military ranks to act as mayor."

The Russian military also took over schools, churches, and businesses. The Ukrainian language is banned, and people are being tortured.

Ukrainians, however, continued to fight and several died as a result. Valeriy Chibineev, known as Karakurt, died near Gostomel on his 34th birthday while performing a special mission. And teenagers, Nikita Khanganov and Tigran Ohannisyan, were killed by the Russian military for their pro-Ukrainian position.

Last May, Ukrainian forces destroyed several Russian warships¹⁵ in the port. In a statement, Ukrainian armed forces said: "In the Azov operational zone...a large landing ship Saratov was destroyed during the attack on the occupied Berdiansk port." The attack also damaged two other Russian vessels¹⁶, Caesar Kunikov and Novocherkassk. Satellite images confirmed the sinking of the Saratov.

Author: Anita Vydnokrai

1 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。

2 nomadic   

adj.流浪的；游牧的

参考例句：

• This tribe still live a nomadic life.这个民族仍然过着游牧生活。
• The plowing culture and the nomadic culture are two traditional principal cultures in China.农耕文化与游牧文化是我国传统的两大主体文化。

3 safari   

n.远征旅行(探险、考察)；探险队，狩猎队

参考例句：

• When we go on safari we like to cook on an open fire.我们远行狩猎时，喜欢露天生火做饭。
• They went on safari searching for the rare black rhinoceros.他们进行探险旅行，搜寻那稀有的黑犀牛。

4 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

5 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

6 depicted   

描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
• They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。

7 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句

8 witchcraft   

n.魔法，巫术

参考例句：

• The woman practising witchcraft claimed that she could conjure up the spirits of the dead.那个女巫说她能用魔法召唤亡灵。
• All these things that you call witchcraft are capable of a natural explanation.被你们统统叫做巫术的那些东西都可以得到合情合理的解释。

9 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

10 plumber   

n.(装修水管的)管子工

参考例句：

• Have you asked the plumber to come and look at the leaking pipe?你叫管道工来检查漏水的管子了吗？
• The plumber screwed up the tap by means of a spanner.管子工用板手把龙头旋紧。

11 vices   

缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳

参考例句：

• In spite of his vices, he was loved by all. 尽管他有缺点，还是受到大家的爱戴。
• He vituperated from the pulpit the vices of the court. 他在教堂的讲坛上责骂宫廷的罪恶。

12 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

13 invaders   

入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They prepared to repel the invaders. 他们准备赶走侵略军。
• The family has traced its ancestry to the Norman invaders. 这个家族将自己的世系追溯到诺曼征服者。

14 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

15 warships   

军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只

参考例句：

• The enemy warships were disengaged from the battle after suffering heavy casualties. 在遭受惨重伤亡后，敌舰退出了海战。
• The government fitted out warships and sailors for them. 政府给他们配备了战舰和水手。

16 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》