The western Ukrainian city of Lviv, a base for war preparations, is on edge

The western Ukrainian city of Lviv, a base for war preparations, is on edge

Transcript¹

Russia's military accelerated its advance on Ukraine with troops positioned to try to surround Kyiv, Kharkiv and other major cities. Russian troops and bombardments have not yet arrived in Lviv.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Russia is trying to apply more force to Ukraine. We're nearly a week into the invasion, which is very early, but many Russian efforts have not worked well. A giant convoy² of troops and vehicles outside Kyiv is still outside Kyiv amid fuel shortages. Russian weapons have begun to blow up civilian³ targets, like a government building in Kharkiv. Another missile blasted a TV tower in Kyiv, though, in a strangely symbolic⁴ development, the tower did not collapse⁵. Ukrainians defending their cities are also preparing to deliver more force. And we go next to a city where many people are working to support the Ukrainian side of the war. Our colleague Leila Fadel is there. Hi there, Leila.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Hey, Steve.

INSKEEP: And there's a little bit of a delay on the line. We'll go through it. What have you - where have you reached today?

FADEL: So we're in Lviv. It's the largest city in western Ukraine. It's a cultural hub. It's often referred to as the soul of this nation. And so far, Russian troops and bombardments have not arrived to this part of Ukraine. But this is a city on edge. Just a couple of hours ago, the air raid sirens sounded. We were here in our hotel, and all of us made our way down to the basement bunker of the hotel, which is usually a casino, to wait it out. And I should note, a lot of people in our hotel are internally displaced from places that are under Russian bombardment right now.

And the city - it's a base for war preparation. Just to give you a sense, we went to an abandoned factory that used to be a place for parties, and now a bunch of young Ukrainians are there mass-producing Molotov cocktails⁶. They told us they've been sending them to the front lines and arming local checkpoints. We also visited an outdoor defense⁷ training session with hundreds of people in a field learning how to use weapons and then a military enlistment⁸ center where we met Yulia Cravats⁹ (ph) and her little brother. And they were weeping and hugging their father, and I asked her why she was crying.

YULIA CRAVATS: It's our father. He was in Donbas Donetsk in 2014, '15, and now he's going to the war again. And I hope that it will finish soon because we need our fathers here in our homes, and we hope that our father will come back alive.

INSKEEP: One of the people speaking with Leila Fadel in Lviv, Ukraine. And, Leila, you're telling us about more and more combatants, more and more people heading for the fighting. There's also a lot of civilians¹⁰ for whom the war is coming directly to them.

FADEL: That's right. I mean, Ukrainians are really worried that they'll be killed in the attacks. Already, there have been civilian deaths. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has accused Russia of war crimes. And many people are worried that because the Ukrainians are putting up such a fight, such a resistance in the face of this Russian attack, that Russia will resort to weaponry that kills indiscriminately.

INSKEEP: What do Ukrainians want from the international community?

FADEL: I mean, it's a hard question to answer. Everyone we speak to just wants the invasion to stop. But how that happens, that's the question. Zelenskyy gave a virtual speech to the EU parliament yesterday and told the members, prove you're with us. Prove that you will not let us go. Ukraine has requested to be part of the EU. The country hopes that would mean members of the EU would come to Ukraine's defense.

INSKEEP: I suppose that's been complicated, though, in recent days. The European Union, at one point, was sending warplanes to Ukraine. That seems, at least in the short term, not to have worked out. But they're still waiting for other support.

FADEL: That's right. I mean, they just want all the support they can get. And they're even requesting - they're allowing foreign fighters to come into the country to fight with them. So they're really asking for any help they can get.

INSKEEP: Our co-host Leila Fadel - thanks, as always.

FADEL: Thank you.

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 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

3 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。

4 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

5 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。

6 cocktails   

n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物

参考例句：

• Come about 4 o'clock. We'll have cocktails and grill steaks. 请四点钟左右来，我们喝鸡尾酒，吃烤牛排。 来自辞典例句
• Cocktails were a nasty American habit. 喝鸡尾酒是讨厌的美国习惯。 来自辞典例句

7 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。

8 enlistment   

n.应征入伍，获得，取得

参考例句：

• Illness as a disqualification for enlistment in the army. 疾病是取消参军入伍资格的一个原因。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One obstacle to the enlistment of able professors was that they had to take holy orders. 征聘有才能的教授的障碍是他们必须成为牧师。 来自辞典例句

9 cravats   

n.（系在衬衫衣领里面的）男式围巾( cravat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

10 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。