美国国家公共电台 NPR--Ukrainian fighters lay the groundwork to reclaim land south of the Dnipro River

Ukrainian fighters lay the groundwork to reclaim¹ land south of the Dnipro River

Transcript²

Four soldiers in Ukraine's south have spent months making clandestine³ trips across the river dividing Ukrainian and Russian forces, preparing for a counteroffensive to reclaim occupied land.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

The southern Ukrainian city of Kherson was the lone⁴ regional capital seized by Russia in the early days of the war. Ukraine's forces were able to retake the city last winter, but not the land south of the Dnipro River, a key waterway. On a recent visit to Kherson, NPR's Joanna Kakissis found Ukrainian fighters who have been quietly laying the groundwork to reclaim that land in a new counteroffensive.

JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE⁵: Before the war, the Dnipro River was a source of joy and life on both sides of the riverbank. Locals picnicked on the forested river islands and gardened at their weekend cottages there.

ALEX: (Non-English language spoken).

KAKISSIS: A 49-year-old soldier named Alex (ph) told me he used to host big barbecues for families and friends on his 17-acre farm near the river's marshlands.

ALEX: (Through interpreter) Now the Russians are on my land. They are living in my home. They are drinking my water.

KAKISSIS: But, Alex predicts, not for long.

ALEX: (Through interpreter) I can tell you this, that the counteroffensive here has started and is ongoing⁷.

KAKISSIS: Russian forces occupy around 15% of Ukraine's land in the east and south. In the Kherson area, the Dnipro River is the front line. NPR spoke⁶ to Alex and three other fighters in Kherson crossing that front line and preparing for a big battle to get their land back. They all declined to give their last names for security reasons. And Alex says they also cannot discuss specific details about their missions.

ALEX: (Through interpreter) All I can say is that, generally, today we may be here, and tomorrow we may be on land that the enemy occupies.

KAKISSIS: The fighters live in the city of Kherson, liberated⁸ last November.

(SOUNDBITE OF MISSILE EXPLODING)

KAKISSIS: Russian shells and missiles hit the city nearly every day. Russian snipers shoot anyone approaching the river or the bridge. More than 260 civilians⁹ have died in the area since November.

(SOUNDBITE OF METAL BANGING)

KAKISSIS: We meet Alex and his wife, Svetlana (ph), outside an iron gate pockmarked by shelling. Alex is tall, cornstalk-thin and always cracking jokes. Svetlana says nearly everyone she knows has fled Kherson since its liberation.

SVETLANA: (Through interpreter) My friends told me, like, are you crazy? This is too dangerous. But, you know, I believe that if it's your fate to die, you will die anyway.

KAKISSIS: We follow Alex and Svetlana into a small house surrounded by fragrant¹⁰ lilacs. The house belongs to the wife of another special forces fighter. The two couples live together.

(SOUNDBITE OF SCHNITZEL FRYING)

KAKISSIS: Inside, Alex and the other fighter, who goes by his callsign, Michel (ph), fry schnitzel for lunch. They met last summer when the city of Kherson was still occupied by Russian forces.

MICHEL: (Non-English language spoken).

KAKISSIS: Michel says they hid for weeks on the many islands that dot Dnipro, ambushing¹¹ Russian soldiers. He says his team attacked from the river while Alex struck from the woods.

MICHEL: (Through interpreter) He was known as a snake. And we were lizards¹² or turtles, meaning we could work on both land and water.

KAKISSIS: Alex can't swim and says he feels at home in the forest. He learned to navigate¹³ forests as a child growing up in the Carpathian Mountains of western Ukraine.

ALEX: (Through interpreter) For me, a forest here is like a park back home. It's small. My wife and I used to go mushroom hunting all the time. They always worried that I would get lost. But it's impossible for me to lose my bearings here.

KAKISSIS: Alex has been fighting Russian forces since 2014, when Russian proxies¹⁴ took over parts of eastern Ukraine.

ALEX: (Non-English language spoken).

KAKISSIS: Over the last year in Kherson, he says he has helped locate Russian military camps and weapon stockpiles. He also admits to killing¹⁵ Russian soldiers and taking their weapons.

ALEX: (Through interpreter) Ammunition¹⁶ was also running low, so we needed it.

KAKISSIS: And the Russians, he says, do not strike him as very good soldiers.

ALEX: (Through interpreter) They would fire randomly¹⁷. And if we went in and started shooting, they would kill each other. They seem to have no training.

KAKISSIS: A few miles away from Alex's home near a suburban¹⁸ park outside the city, we meet two more Ukrainian soldiers, Serhiy (ph) and Andriy (ph), who are part of a reconnaissance team.

SERHIY: (Non-English language spoken).

KAKISSIS: They're both in their 40s. Serhiy is a cheery former park ranger¹⁹. Like the special forces, his unit also spends a lot of time on the river islands.

SERHIY: (Through interpreter) This is the closest we can get to the enemy to see their movements with our own eyes.

KAKISSIS: But the stakeouts, he says, are very risky²⁰.

SERHIY: (Through interpreter) The shelling is constant. Attack drones are flying over our heads. There are also drones recording²¹ our location. And on the other side, there are Russian soldiers in tanks ready to strike with artillery²² or mortars²³ at the slightest movement.

KAKISSIS: The other soldier, Andriy, is the battalion's deputy commander and tactician²⁴. He says launching a major military attack across a river is very complicated. And his team is trying to make it easier.

ANDRIY: (Through interpreter) We have destroyed enemy sabotage²⁵ groups that try to cross the river. We have destroyed some of the enemy's equipment. We have fortified²⁶ our positions along the coast.

KAKISSIS: And, he adds, his reconnaissance team has also secured positions on the other side of the river, the occupied side. Ukrainian authorities say Russian forces have been evacuating²⁷ residents from the occupied side and forcing them to apply for Russian passports.

ALEX: (Non-English language spoken).

KAKISSIS: Alex, the special forces fighter we met earlier, sees this as a sign that the Russians are weakened. He predicts that the counteroffensive will be effective and quiet.

ALEX: (Through interpreter) Don't expect some scene out of World War II, like millions of soldiers swimming across the Dnipro River. Everything will happen like it's supposed to.

KAKISSIS: He says he's confident enough to start planning this summer's barbecues at his home across the river on the land now occupied by Russia.

Joanna Kakissis, NPR News, Kherson.

(SOUNDBITE OF WHALE FALL'S "THE SONDERSONG")

1 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

2 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。

3 clandestine   

adj.秘密的，暗中从事的

参考例句：

• She is the director of clandestine operations of the CIA.她是中央情报局秘密行动的负责人。
• The early Christians held clandestine meetings in caves.早期的基督徒在洞穴中秘密聚会。

4 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

5 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。

6 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。

7 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

8 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

9 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。

10 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

11 ambushing   

v.埋伏( ambush的现在分词 )；埋伏着

参考例句：

• The militia succeeded in ambushing the invading enemy soldiers. 民兵们成功地伏击了入侵的敌军。 来自互联网

12 lizards   

n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nothing lives in Pompeii except crickets and beetles and lizards. 在庞培城里除了蟋蟀、甲壳虫和蜥蜴外，没有别的生物。 来自辞典例句
• Can lizards reproduce their tails? 蜥蜴的尾巴断了以后能再生吗？ 来自辞典例句

13 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

14 proxies   

n.代表权( proxy的名词复数 )；（测算用的）代替物；（对代理人的）委托书；（英国国教教区献给主教等的）巡游费

参考例句：

• SOCKS and proxies are unavailable. Try connecting to XX again? socks和代理不可用。尝试重新连接到XX吗？ 来自互联网
• All proxies are still down. Continue with direct connections? 所有的代理仍然有故障。继续直接连接吗？ 来自互联网

15 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

16 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

17 randomly   

adv.随便地，未加计划地

参考例句：

• Within the hot gas chamber, molecules are moving randomly in all directions. 在灼热的气体燃烧室内，分子在各个方向上作无规运动。 来自辞典例句
• Transformed cells are loosely attached, rounded and randomly oriented. 转化细胞则不大贴壁、圆缩并呈杂乱分布。 来自辞典例句

18 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

19 ranger   

n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员

参考例句：

• He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
• He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。

20 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

21 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

22 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

23 mortars   

n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵

参考例句：

• They could not move their heavy mortars over the swampy ground. 他们无法把重型迫击炮移过那片沼泽地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Where the hell are his mortars? 他有迫击炮吗？ 来自教父部分

24 tactician   

n. 战术家, 策士

参考例句：

• This was why an airport manager needed to be a tactician as well as versatile administrator. 因此，一个空港经理必须既是一个计谋家，又是一个能应付各种情况的行政管理家。
• The skillful tactician may be likened to the shuai-jan. 故善用兵者，譬如率然。

25 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。

26 fortified   

adj. 加强的

参考例句：

• He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
• The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。

27 evacuating   

撤离，疏散( evacuate的现在分词 )； 排空（胃肠），排泄（粪便）； （从危险的地方）撤出，搬出，撤空

参考例句：

• The solution is degassed by alternately freezing, evacuating and thawing. 通过交替的冻结、抽空和溶化来使溶液除气。
• Are we evacuating these potential targets? 能够在这些目标地域内进行疏散吗？