People in Ukraine pay close attention to Putin's speech on Victory Day

People in Ukraine pay close attention to Putin's speech on Victory Day

Transcript¹

Russia celebrates Victory Day to mark the end of World War II. The day is being marked completely different in Ukraine. A lot of people are sheltering indoors after Russia invaded its neighbor.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Now, people in Ukraine paid special attention to Putin's speech. And NPR's Frank Langfitt is on the line from Odesa, Ukraine. Hey there, Frank.

FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE²: Hey, Steve.

INSKEEP: What are you hearing?

LANGFITT: Well, one of the first things you saw in reaction was from Mykhailo Podolyak. He's adviser³ to President Zelenskyy here. He wrote on Twitter that much of what Charles was talking about that Putin said is simply not true. He writes, let's talk again, NATO countries. We're not going to attack Russia. Ukraine did not plan to attack Crimea. There's no rational reasons for this war, other than the painful imperial ambitions of the Russian Federation⁴.

Now, Zelenskyy - he put out a video today. This wasn't a response to Putin, but it was - own way of acknowledging Victory Day over the Nazis⁵, you know, as we were saying, over - during World War II. And, Steve, he's walking down this empty boulevard in Kyiv, past these giant metal barriers, which are known as tank traps. And he says, on the day of victory over Nazism⁶, we're fighting for a new victory. There are no shackles⁷ that can bind⁸ our free spirit. We won then. We will win now.

INSKEEP: Oh - a reminder⁹ that Ukraine was part of World War II, as well. How is this anniversary being marked where you are, if at all?

LANGFITT: Completely opposite of what Charles was just describing. Everybody here is actually sheltering indoors in Odesa. And that's because the Ukrainian military has told everybody here that just off - out in the Black Sea - I'm looking out towards the horizon right now from my hotel window - six Russian ships have lined up, and there are two subs, and they're in position to launch missiles here on Odesa and in other parts of the south. Now that - as far as I can tell - I haven't heard any sirens this morning. It doesn't seem to have happened yet - may not happen at all. And there's no celebration today of the - obviously a Soviet¹⁰ military victory. After all, you know, Russia has been at war with Ukraine since 2014.

And yesterday, which is the normal day in the rest of Europe when people celebrate V-E Day, as they do in London, where I normally live, people were out riding bikes around the water, went down to seaside cafes. And it was really interesting, Steve. Right where I was, you could hear the boom of antiaircraft missiles taking off, aiming at cruise missiles from the Black Sea, and people would have a little jolt¹¹, and then they would just go on about their day.

INSKEEP: Wow. Were people celebrating at all in the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine?

LANGFITT: Well, there were not popular celebrations. There were manufactured ones. To the east of here, we have the occupied - Russian-occupied port city of Kherson. Basically, the Russians have put in their own government there, turn - trying to turn it into a Russian city. They're putting up billboards¹² with hammers and sickles¹³ to celebrate Victory Day, built a stage downtown for the celebration. And I saw on a Russian propaganda channel this morning, people standing¹⁴ in a park waving Soviet flags. They were carrying portraits of Soviet soldiers, and they were chanting, thank you, Grandpa, for the victory. Now, the vast majority of people in Kherson are against the Russian occupation, based on my conversations, and so much so, I think - so much concern - that Russian soldiers actually were setting up checkpoints every hundred yards in the last few days in the city to make sure they could stop people who might try to protest today. And the fear in Kherson, Steve, is that Russia is either going to annex¹⁵ it or hold a fake referendum and turn the region into an independent people's republic.

INSKEEP: Did the fighting and evacuation of civilians¹⁶ stop for the holiday?

LANGFITT: The evacuations, Steve, did continue. About 174 people, mostly from Mariupol, they got out by bus last night. About maybe 36, 38 of them were from that underground maze¹⁷ beneath the steel factory that's been under siege there for so long. It is now not clear if there are any other civilians still trapped there. Another case out in the east as well - that terrible story of the school that was leveled by a Russian bomb, 60 people were missing according to regional authorities there. They say there's still too much shelling for them to do any more excavating¹⁸. And they presume that those 60 people have died.

INSKEEP: NPR's Frank Langfitt, thanks so much.

LANGFITT: Great to talk, Steve.

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 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。

3 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

4 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

5 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 Nazism   

n. 纳粹主义

参考例句：

• His philosophical eyes were obviously shortsighted by the evil influence of Nazism. 显然，他那双哲学家般的深邃的眼睛也被纳粹的妖氛所眩惑。 来自中国文学部分
• Nazism suppressed all three movements as degenerate. 纳粹把所有三个运动都作为颓废艺术而加以镇压。

7 shackles   

手铐( shackle的名词复数 )； 脚镣； 束缚； 羁绊

参考例句：

• a country struggling to free itself from the shackles of colonialism 为摆脱殖民主义的枷锁而斗争的国家
• The cars of the train are coupled together by shackles. 火车的车厢是用钩链连接起来的。

8 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

9 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

10 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。

11 jolt   

v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸

参考例句：

• We were worried that one tiny jolt could worsen her injuries.我们担心稍微颠簸一下就可能会使她的伤势恶化。
• They were working frantically in the fear that an aftershock would jolt the house again.他们拼命地干着，担心余震可能会使房子再次受到震动。

12 billboards   

n.广告牌( billboard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Large billboards have disfigured the scenery. 大型告示板已破坏了景色。 来自辞典例句
• Then, put the logo in magazines and on billboards without telling anyone what it means. 接着我们把这个商标刊在杂志和广告看板上，却不跟任何人透漏它的涵意。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年4月号

13 sickles   

n.镰刀( sickle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Sickles and reaping hooks were used for cutting the crops. 镰刀和收割钩被用来收庄稼。 来自互联网
• Being short of sickles, they are reaping by hand. 由于缺少镰刀，他们在徒手收割庄稼。 来自互联网

14 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

15 annex   

vt.兼并，吞并；n.附属建筑物

参考例句：

• It plans to annex an England company in order to enlarge the market.它计划兼并一家英国公司以扩大市场。
• The annex has been built on to the main building.主楼配建有附属的建筑物。

16 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。

17 maze   

n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑

参考例句：

• He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
• She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时，她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。

18 excavating   

v.挖掘( excavate的现在分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• A bulldozer was employed for excavating the foundations of the building. 推土机用来给楼房挖地基。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs. 一支新的丹麦探险队又在那个遗址上进行一年一度的夏季挖掘。 来自辞典例句