乌克兰东部暴力活动有所增加

AS IT IS 2016-03-08 Violence Increases in Eastern Ukraine 乌克兰东部暴力活动有所增加

The United States has noticed an increase in fighting in Eastern Ukraine, a Department of Defense¹ official told VOA.

Despite an agreement for a ceasefire in 2015, about 430 Ukrainian armed forces have died, said Michael Carpenter, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense.

Ukrainian government soldiers are battling Russian-backed military forces. The pro-Russian forces have carried out hundreds of attacks in eastern Ukraine in the last week, according to one NATO military leader. 

Carpenter told VOA that the fighting in Ukraine is fueled by Russia. He said the solution is diplomatic and economic pressure on Russia.

NATO top commander U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove spoke² to reporters at the Pentagon, and said that “disturbing trends” had formed in Ukraine. He told Congress on Tuesday that attacks have increased. He said there have been more than 470 attacks in the past week.

Breedlove also said sections of Ukraine that saw no fighting in the past are now under attack.

The surge in violence has officials calling for more resources to aid Ukraine and stop Russian aggression³. But Breedlove told American lawmakers, “the personnel, equipment and resources necessary to carry out its ongoing⁴ mission” is not available.  

Ukraine declared independence in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet⁵ Union. Pro-Russian separatists have fought in the region since March 2014. 

Words in This Story

NATO – n. short for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; a group of countries that have agreed to provide military support to each other.

fueled - v. to give support or strength to something?

surge – n. a sudden, large increase

personnel – n. the people who work for a particular organization

mission – n. a task or job that someone is given to do

1 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。

2 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。

3 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

4 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。

5 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。