Ukraine braces for more Russian cyberattacks, an ex-infrastructure minister says

Ukraine braces¹ for more Russian cyberattacks, an ex-infrastructure² minister says

Transcript³

Ukraine has dealt with repeated Russian cyberattacks. NPR's A Martinez talks to Volodymyr Omelyan, an ex-minister for infrastructure, about what makes his country vulnerable to an attack from Russia.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

I'm A Martinez in Kyiv, where world leaders have been descending⁴, one after the other. We got across town yesterday moments before streets shut down for French President Emmanuel Macron's visit.

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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: French President Emmanuel Macron taking the lead, arriving in Kyiv today to meet with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy one day after his marathon talks with Vladimir Putin. And Macron's saying...

MARTINEZ: Macron is acting⁵ as a go-between, a mediator⁶, between Russia and the Western NATO alliance. And while he's kept the dialogue going with the man of the hour, Russian President Vladimir Putin, he has not secured any commitments from him. Here in Ukraine, pretty much everyone is listening closely.

VOLODYMYR OMELYAN: My name is Volodymyr Omelyan. I'm politician, board member of the European Solidarity⁷ political party, former minister of infrastructure in 2016, 2019.

MARTINEZ: We met up with Omelyan at the offices of his political party. Talking to him, we learn he believes his future lies with Europe. His office is modern on the inside, post-Soviet looking on the outside. It's located near war memorials, museums and just a few blocks from the world's deepest subway station. Omelyan tells us that in his years in government, he had to deal with repeated Russian cyberattacks, and he remembers a big one from 2016.

OMELYAN: They attacked our logistics components⁸, such as Ukrainian railways, Ukrainian seaports⁹, airports, and only because we immediately switched to our reserve systems, which are isolated¹⁰ from the outer world, we survived. But still, it was very tough. But then we realized, even if governmental services are operational, banking¹¹ system is damaged. Gasoline stations, which are in private hands, are damaged and blocked. You cannot function normally. And this is the biggest issue as of today as well because we never know how far Russians are ready to go.

MARTINEZ: I asked Omelyan about Nord Stream 2, a years-in-the-making, controversial pipeline¹² that would lower gas prices for Europeans.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, the natural gas pipeline that's directly from Russia to Germany, seems to be at the center of a lot of what's going on between the U.S., France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia. And it delivers gas directly to Germany, bypassing Ukraine's transit¹³ infrastructure. How much revenue does Ukraine stand to lose if that pipeline becomes fully¹⁴ operational?

OMELYAN: If we talk about money, it's between 5 and $10 billion annually¹⁵. But it's not about the money; it's about geopolitics and about the impact on all other areas of economy and politics. In our strong opinion, next day when Nord Stream 2 is fully operational, Russia attacks Ukraine. And existing main gas pipeline coming through Ukraine supplying gas to European Union is the main obstacle for Russia to attack Ukraine because if they do so, existing pipeline could be easily damaged, and Russia doesn't get money from European Union for supply of gas. And it's also big impact for Russian economy. I was very happy to hear news from Mr. Biden and Scholz just recently in Washington.

MARTINEZ: He's referring to President Biden's meeting with German Chancellor¹⁶ Olaf Scholz. After the meeting, Biden said that if Russia invades, the pipeline will be shut down.

OMELYAN: When they declared clearly that if there is any tank of Russia crossing Ukrainian border or any other troop to invade Ukraine, Nord Stream 2 is frozen and blocked and destroyed.

MARTINEZ: OK, so there's the threat that if the pipeline becomes operational that they would invade Ukraine right away. That's your belief...

OMELYAN: Yeah.

MARTINEZ: ...That Russia would invade Ukraine if the pipeline becomes operational. So why wouldn't, then, Vladimir Putin back off on the troops now, allow the pipeline to start and then invade? Because right now the threat from the United States and the West is that if they invade, the pipeline goes away. So why not just back off and let it happen?

OMELYAN: I believe that Putin miscalculated the situation. He thought that European Union is very weak and divided and that Germany and France will be in favor of Russian actions, and they will simply neglect Ukraine, and the United States will be very much preoccupied¹⁷ with internal situation and with China and will give, like, all possibilities to Russia to do whatever they want in Eastern Europe. And things got - it didn't happen that way. Plus, economical situation - economical crisis, pandemia (ph), prices for gas, fuel, all resources, went up dramatically. And Russians are getting - not Russians, but Kremlin is getting richer and richer every day. All this gave perspective to Putin that situation is under his control and totally is in his favor. He was wrong, saying that. And we see united reaction. We see one-voice policy - whatever it takes. And only one can win.

MARTINEZ: President Biden has pledged support through diplomacy¹⁸, through equipment, but he has said absolutely no American troops will be on Ukrainian soil if Russia invades. If that happens, would you like to see American troops here?

OMELYAN: Definitely, I would feel myself much safer. But I would say that all Ukrainians will stay here in Ukraine and will fight Russia, and there is no doubt about that. We are ready for war. And we are very grateful for military support because I do remember 2014, when this support was absent, totally absent, and we were left on our own. 2022 is much different. You know, after Afghanistan, definitely, it's very difficult to explain to Americans why should we take care about Europe this way. And I'm very grateful to President Biden's administration that they're trying to explain why it's so important. So it's not the issue of Ukraine itself; it's the issue about what system and what values will prevail at the end. And I'm happy to see that U.S. citizens at least getting know about the picture, and they understand that if you want to remain No. 1 nation in the world, you should fight for that.

MARTINEZ: Volodymyr Omelyan. He's the former infrastructure minister of Ukraine.

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1 braces   

n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• The table is shaky because the braces are loose. 这张桌子摇摇晃晃，因为支架全松了。
• You don't need braces if you're wearing a belt! 要系腰带，就用不着吊带了。

2 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

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 descending   

n. 下行 adj. 下降的

参考例句：

• The results are expressed in descending numerical order . 结果按数字降序列出。
• The climbers stopped to orient themselves before descending the mountain. 登山者先停下来确定所在的位置，然后再下山。

5 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。

6 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

7 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

8 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

9 seaports   

n.海港( seaport的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Airports have joined seaports as ports of entry for the visiting foreigner. 机场和海港一样成为来访的外国人的入境关口。 来自互联网
• Sanya has 16 seaports, 10 islands and 180km of coastline. 三亚有16个港口、10个海岛和180公里的海岸线。 来自互联网

10 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

11 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

12 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

13 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

14 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

15 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

16 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

17 preoccupied   

adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)

参考例句：

• He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事，没注意到有什么不对。
• The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。