VOA标准英语2015--炮击令更多乌克兰东部男性加入叛军

 In E. Ukraine, Civilian¹ Deaths Push Men to Join Rebels 炮击令更多乌克兰东部男性加入叛军

DONETSK—

After months of fighting in eastern Ukraine, the presence of the Ukrainian military and the shelling of civilian neighborhoods seem to be pushing more men to join the rebellion. 

New recruits for Ukraine’s rebel army, part of a battalion² of Don Cossacks, are on their way out of Donetsk to a piece of wasteland for weapons training.

Their targets are the faces of western-leaning Ukrainian politicians, including Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

It's been months since the Ukrainian government launched a so-called "anti-terrorism operation" to retake the east of the country. But these Cossacks have a long tradition of defending the Russian empire. To them, the offensive felt like an armed invasion by a new government they were already suspicious of.

Sasha, their commander, was an economist³ and businessman before the war. He traveled to Kyiv and had friends there. But now, he said, no one there understands why he’s fighting.

“They think that we are terrorists, and pro-Russian citizens. But I do not think like this. We were born as Russians in our blood, and we are living on our land. As a rule, we have no contact with 90 percent of our old friends on western Ukraine and there is a massive lack of comprehension between us and them,” Sasha said.

Civilian deaths

The use of artillery⁴ and rockets in built-up areas by both sides has led to many civilian deaths and huge damage to property. And instead of discouraging the rebellion, these men say it has obligated them to join up. 

One, who goes by the name “Spiker” worked as a miner until his village was largely destroyed by shelling.

“A lot of my neighbors were killed, a lot of my friends who I worked with before were killed. All the houses and church on my street were ruined. The children's playground and school were ruined,” he said.

The men said they are most concerned about the volunteers coming east to fight for the government, some of whom are part of far-right political movements. It’s here that one can see the lingering effect World War Two has had on the region.

“Many women and men were fighting on the side of the U.S.S.R. and the coalition⁵. The western part of Ukraine was under [Adolf] Hitler's coalition and that is the reason why today we still have a lot of far-right nationalist organizations,” Sasha said.

Weapons training ends with grenade launchers and a demonstration⁶ of explosives using old equipment from the coal mines.

Despite the cease-fire, these men say they expect the fighting will start again soon.

In this war, one side thinks they are fighting terrorists, the other thinks they are fighting the Nazis⁷. And the longer the fighting continues, the more polarized this region will become.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

3 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

4 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。

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

6 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

7 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》