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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Eastern Ukraine
Fighting on
As the battle continues and the death toll1 mounts, the West imposes more sanctions
THE two presidents could not have offered a greater contrast.
Announcing new sanctions against Russia on July 16th, America's Barack Obama read a prepared statement and took no questions.
Minutes later, Russia's Vladimir Putin staged an off-the-cuff press conference in Brazil to assail2 the sanctions' legitimacy3.
He let emotion take hold, reaching a crescendo4 during a riff about the “tears of mothers, widows and orphans” in Ukraine.
The new sanctions come at a crucial juncture5 in Ukraine's war.
The death toll, both civilian6 and military, is rising as the fighting creeps into Donetsk and Luhansk, eastern Ukraine's two biggest cities.
Russia has not stopped its support for rebel forces,
and has even ramped7 up equipment transfers following the fall of rebel-held Sloviansk two weeks ago.
Kiev has implicated8 Moscow in the recent downing of two Ukrainian military aircraft.
After an air strike demolished9 an apartment block in the city of Snizhne on July 15th,
Ukrainian officials called it a Russian provocation10, saying none of their planes took off that day.
That would imply Russia sending a jet more than 20 kilometres (12 miles)
across the border to bomb a residential11 neighbourhood and poison opinion against Kiev, a cynical12 notion even for Mr Putin.
But to blame Ukraine is to accept that the country's armed forces are dangerously incompetent13 or stunningly14 cruel.
Neither version suggests the conflict will abate15 soon.
The main targets of the new sanctions are two prominent banks (Vneshekonombank and Gazprombank ) and two energy firms (Novatek and Rosneft).
The sanctions do not yet cut the companies off from international business or block their assets.
Instead, they restrict access to American debt and equity16 markets, barring loans of more than 90 days' maturity17.
Eight defence firms, a few individuals and a Crimean shipping18 firm face more traditional asset freezes.
The European Union has promised to follow suit, with the names of “entities and persons” affected19 to be released shortly.
The sanctions' effect will depend on whether Mr Putin finds that another blow to his country's wobbly economy hurts more than one to his pride.
So far he has bridled20, saying the decision would have a “boomerang effect”
and that American-Russian relations were being driven to a “dead end”.
In any case the fighting in eastern Ukraine has taken on a momentum21 beyond his control.
Kiev's “anti-terrorist operation” is alienating22 locals.
Since the fighting began three months ago, 478 civilians23 killed, and 1,392 have been wounded.
The anger on the ground may be creating conditions for what Alexander Golts,
an independent Moscow-based defence analyst24, calls “a long partisan25 war”.
The rebels' attitude is “victory or death”.
At one militia's base on the edge of Donetsk, where shelling has ravaged26 residential areas,
three weary soldiers take cover in a bomb shelter.
“People don't fully27 comprehend what is happening,” says one,
referring to stunned28 locals who peek29 out of their windows when they hear the sounds of battle.
He might have been speaking of the outside world.
At another base, away from the fighting, few think it will stop soon.
“It's not fucked up,” says Maksim, giving a soldier's assessment30.
“It's completely fucked up.” A brawny31 ex-paratrooper, he once served in the same Ukrainian army he now fights against.
He promises to stand till the end.
1 toll | |
n.过路(桥)费;损失,伤亡人数;v.敲(钟) | |
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2 assail | |
v.猛烈攻击,抨击,痛斥 | |
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3 legitimacy | |
n.合法,正当 | |
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4 crescendo | |
n.(音乐)渐强,高潮 | |
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5 juncture | |
n.时刻,关键时刻,紧要关头 | |
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6 civilian | |
adj.平民的,民用的,民众的 | |
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7 ramped | |
土堤斜坡( ramp的过去式和过去分词 ); 斜道; 斜路; (装车或上下飞机的)活动梯 | |
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8 implicated | |
adj.密切关联的;牵涉其中的 | |
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9 demolished | |
v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 );推翻;拆毁(尤指大建筑物);吃光 | |
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10 provocation | |
n.激怒,刺激,挑拨,挑衅的事物,激怒的原因 | |
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11 residential | |
adj.提供住宿的;居住的;住宅的 | |
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12 cynical | |
adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的,不信世道向善的 | |
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13 incompetent | |
adj.无能力的,不能胜任的 | |
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14 stunningly | |
ad.令人目瞪口呆地;惊人地 | |
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15 abate | |
vi.(风势,疼痛等)减弱,减轻,减退 | |
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16 equity | |
n.公正,公平,(无固定利息的)股票 | |
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17 maturity | |
n.成熟;完成;(支票、债券等)到期 | |
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18 shipping | |
n.船运(发货,运输,乘船) | |
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19 affected | |
adj.不自然的,假装的 | |
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20 bridled | |
给…套龙头( bridle的过去式和过去分词 ); 控制; 昂首表示轻蔑(或怨忿等); 动怒,生气 | |
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21 momentum | |
n.动力,冲力,势头;动量 | |
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22 alienating | |
v.使疏远( alienate的现在分词 );使不友好;转让;让渡(财产等) | |
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23 civilians | |
平民,百姓( civilian的名词复数 ); 老百姓 | |
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24 analyst | |
n.分析家,化验员;心理分析学家 | |
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25 partisan | |
adj.党派性的;游击队的;n.游击队员;党徒 | |
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26 ravaged | |
毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 ); 蹂躏; 劫掠; 抢劫 | |
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27 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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28 stunned | |
adj. 震惊的,惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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29 peek | |
vi.偷看,窥视;n.偷偷的一看,一瞥 | |
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30 assessment | |
n.评价;评估;对财产的估价,被估定的金额 | |
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31 brawny | |
adj.强壮的 | |
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