Russia is making territorial advances in its invasion of Ukraine

Russia is making territorial¹ advances in its invasion of Ukraine

Transcript²

The advances are happening most notably³ in the south of the country, where Russian troops have entered the Black Sea port of Kherson.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Russia seems to be making some territorial advances, most notably in the south of the country, where Russian troops have entered the Black Sea port of Kherson. Though, it's not yet clear if the city has actually fallen. The capital, Kyiv, and Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, are still under government control despite constant shelling even as a massive Russian convoy⁴ inches closer to the capital. In Moscow, meanwhile, the cost of the Russian invasion is becoming more apparent to the Russian people. NPR's Charles Maynes joins us now from Moscow. Good morning, Charles.

CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE⁵: Good morning.

FADEL: So there's been a lot of rumors⁶ of significant Russian losses since the invasion began. Now it seems as if the Kremlin is finally starting to address them.

MAYNES: Yeah. You know, nearly every day, we hear from the defense⁷ ministry⁸ spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, who rattles⁹ off Russian battlefield successes, you know, how many military objects destroyed or towns captured. But late Wednesday, Konashenkov added something we hadn't heard before.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

IGOR KONASHENKOV: (Non-English language spoken).

MAYNES: So here, Konashenkov says 498 Russian soldiers have unfortunately died, and more than 1,500 troops had been injured since the fighting began, even as he insisted Ukraine's army paid an even heavier price. Now, of course, we have no idea of the accuracy of these claims. But this announcement sheds light on what had been, up until now, tightly controlled messaging regarding what the Kremlin insists is a limited military operation. The public's been mostly shielded from the scale of the fighting, with anti-war protesters immediately arrested and media outlets¹⁰ blocked from using words like war or invasion.

FADEL: Right. So we heard yesterday that some media were being taken offline for their critical coverage¹¹.

MAYNES: Yeah. And it's gone further since, you know? This morning, we learned that the "Echo Of Moscow," the iconic liberal radio station that's been a fixture¹² of Russia's free press since the end of the USSR, was liquidated¹³ by its board of directors. You know, on Tuesday, "Echo's" FM signal went dark after prosecutors¹⁴ accused the station of spreading false information about the war. And many in Russia and certainly beyond will find their closure a deeply troubling sign.

FADEL: So earlier this week, you reported that sanctions had already taken hold. Are they starting to bite even deeper? And how is it affecting ordinary people?

MAYNES: You know, they really have. The ruble has tanked. And the push is now to get cash, as people clearly don't trust electronic banking¹⁵ anymore. So there are long lines at ATMs unless, of course, the cash machines are already emptied out. And that's sometimes been my experience. Meanwhile, Russia's stock index is closed again today. Corporate¹⁶ giants like BP, Ford¹⁷, Apple are all pulling out of the country. And the larger issue, though, is, you know, do these sanctions punish far beyond those they're intended to hurt? And the answer seems, yes. And so you have to wonder who Russians will blame for the pain. Is it Vladimir Putin or those doing the sanctioning? You know, another big question hovering¹⁸ over all of this is, can these sanctions and any public pressure change the Kremlin's calculus¹⁹ in Ukraine? Putin's spokesman says, no. But we'll see.

FADEL: OK. So let's talk about the diplomatic efforts picking up again today. Delegations²⁰ from both sides will meet in Belarus again. Is there any sense these talks have any chance of bearing fruit?

MAYNES: Well, it's hard to know how much hope to place in these talks. You know, the team sent by the Kremlin are, shall we say, not political heavyweights here. But more importantly, Ukraine wants Russian troops out, while the Kremlin keeps insisting, essentially²¹, on Ukraine's total surrender.

FADEL: NPR's Charles Maynes in Moscow. Thank you so much.

MAYNES: Thank you.

1 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

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 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

4 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。

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 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 rattles   

（使）发出格格的响声， （使）作嘎嘎声( rattle的第三人称单数 )； 喋喋不休地说话； 迅速而嘎嘎作响地移动，堕下或走动； 使紧张，使恐惧

参考例句：

• It rattles the windowpane and sends the dog scratching to get under the bed. 它把窗玻璃震得格格作响，把狗吓得往床底下钻。
• How thin it is, and how dainty and frail; and how it rattles. 你看它够多么薄，多么精致，多么不结实；还老那么哗楞哗楞地响。

10 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

12 fixture   

n.固定设备；预定日期；比赛时间；定期存款

参考例句：

• Lighting fixture must be installed at once.必须立即安装照明设备。
• The cordless kettle may now be a fixture in most kitchens.无绳电热水壶现在可能是多数厨房的固定设备。

13 liquidated   

v.清算( liquidate的过去式和过去分词 )；清除（某人）；清偿；变卖

参考例句：

• All his supporters were expelled, exiled, or liquidated. 他的支持者全都被驱逐、流放或消灭了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• That can be liquidated at market value any time. 那可按市价随时得到偿付。 来自辞典例句

14 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

15 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。

16 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

17 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

18 hovering   

鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
• I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

19 calculus   

n.微积分；结石

参考例句：

• This is a problem where calculus won't help at all.对于这一题，微积分一点也用不上。
• After studying differential calculus you will be able to solve these mathematical problems.学了微积分之后，你们就能够解这些数学题了。

20 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

21 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。