美国国家公共电台 NPR--Weekend Russian drone attack comes as Ukrainian forces prepare for counteroffensive

Weekend Russian drone attack comes as Ukrainian forces prepare for counteroffensive

Transcript¹

Russia launched its biggest drone strike since the war began. Ukrainian officials say it mostly targeting the capital Kyiv. Ukraine's top commander hints a long-awaited counteroffensive is imminent².

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

As the war in Ukraine enters its 16th month, over the weekend, Russia launched its biggest drone strike since the war began.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Ukrainian officials say the attacks that continue today are mostly targeting the capital, Kyiv. The drone strike comes as Ukraine prepares for or may have already started, depending on who you talk to, a long-awaited counteroffensive aimed at driving out the Russian forces.

MART?NEZ: Joining us now from Kharkiv is NPR's Joanna Kakissis. Joanna, tell us about these attacks.

JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE³: So right now, A, I'm in Kharkiv, which you mentioned, and it's close to the Russian border, and air raid alarms have been going off every few hours. But the real target has actually been Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. Russia has attacked Kyiv more than a dozen times this month alone. Early this morning, the Ukrainian military says it shot down more than 40 missiles and drones over Kyiv overnight. And yesterday, on the day Kyiv celebrated⁴ its 1,541st birthday, Russia launched a record number of drones at the city. And these are powerful Shahed drones made by Iran. Ukraine's military said it shot down all but two of these drones very early on Sunday. And falling debris⁵ from the drone wreckage⁶ killed at least one person, injured another two and set fire to the top of a couple of buildings.

MART?NEZ: You know, we keep hearing about a Ukrainian counteroffensive. Johanna, do these attacks have anything to do with that?

KAKISSIS: Yeah, well, A, that's what military analysts⁷ suspect, that the Russians are trying to weaken Ukraine ahead of the counteroffensive. Russia appears to be trying to deplete⁸ Ukraine's air defense⁹ missiles and damage the systems that launch these missiles. Meanwhile, Ukraine has been saying for weeks that it's on the verge¹⁰ of launching its counteroffensive, but they've ramped¹¹ up this talk in the last few days. And some officials are saying, well, we are already carrying out counteroffensive actions. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar tried to explain what that means on local TV. Here she is speaking through an interpreter.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

HANNA MALIAR: (Through interpreter) We have been active in several areas and are now carrying out some counterassaults in the east. This can also be considered part of the counteroffensive. They are all part of a big plan.

KAKISSIS: And other officials have pointed¹² to more actions, like destroying Russian oil depots¹³, railway lines and weapon stockpiles in occupied areas. I spoke¹⁴ to the special forces fighter in southern Ukraine, and he told me, look, do not expect this counteroffensive to look like this epic¹⁵ World War II movie with, like, a huge column of soldiers storming a place. He said it's all happening quietly and according to plan.

MART?NEZ: OK, so then what would victory look like in this counteroffensive?

KAKISSIS: Well, the Ukrainians want to reclaim¹⁶ as much land as possible toward the eventual¹⁷ goal of driving the Russians out completely. But it's going to be challenging. Russians control about 15% of Ukrainian land in the east and the south. And Russian forces have really fortified¹⁸ their positions in the southeast, where analysts have suggested Ukrainians could break through and cut the road supply links for the Russian army. All this is to say that Ukrainians need some kind of victory to keep the nation united and hopeful and to satisfy the West, which has supplied billions of dollars in military aid to help Ukraine.

MART?NEZ: That's NPR's Joanna Kakissis in Kharkiv. Joanna, thanks for checking in.

KAKISSIS: You're welcome.

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 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

3 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。

4 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

5 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

6 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

7 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

8 deplete   

v.弄空，排除，减轻，减少...体液，放去...的血

参考例句：

• Most native mammal species have been severely depleted.大多数本地哺乳动物的数量都已经大大减少了。
• Elastic collisions deplete very little of the electron's energy.弹性碰撞中电子减少的能量非常少。

9 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。

10 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

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。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

11 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

参考例句：

• With the arrival of George Lucas, the pace has ramped up. 随着乔治·卢卡斯的到来，速度大大加快。
• They also sold corporate bonds as the global financial crisis ramped up. 在全球金融危机加剧之际，他们还抛售了公司债券。

12 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

13 depots   

仓库( depot的名词复数 )； 火车站； 车库； 军需库

参考例句：

• Public transportation termini and depots are important infrastructures for a city. 公交场站设施是城市重要的基础设施。
• In the coastal cities are equipped with after-sales service and depots. 在各沿海城市均设有服务部及售后维修站。

14 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。

15 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

16 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。

17 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

18 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。