As Russia keeps up its attack, how long can Ukraine hold the capital city?

As Russia keeps up its attack, how long can Ukraine hold the capital city?

Transcript¹

Residents of Ukraine's capital city are fleeing as Russian missiles fall on Kyiv. Ukraine's foreign minister said the last time this has happened was in 1941 when Nazi² Germany attacked.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

As Russia intensified³ its attack on Ukraine, the Kremlin says this morning that it is prepared to meet with Ukrainian negotiators. This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to Russia to sit down at the negotiating table to, quote, "stop the killing⁴." Zelenskyy said the Russian invasion has killed 137 Ukrainian troops and civilians⁵; hundreds more have been wounded. NPR's Tim Mak is in Ukraine.

So, Tim, where are you right now, and what are you seeing?

TIM MAK, BYLINE⁶: Well, I'm standing⁷ right now in a field in central Ukraine. Like so many others, we're using these small, rural routes in order to travel in order to avoid the major roads, where we've seen a lot of reports of traffic jams and clogs⁸ as people try to escape Kyiv and push towards other areas.

MARTINEZ: Tim, what's the latest regarding the fighting and an update on the battlefield?

MAK: Obviously, it's a very fluid situation. But we're receiving some reports that the initial stages are not going as well for the Russian military as they might have hoped. A strategic airport 15 kilometers west of Kyiv was initially⁹ captured by a Russian air assault, and it would have given them the opportunity to land forces right outside the capital city. But Ukrainian forces have now recaptured it in a counteroffensive. Ukrainians are also reporting that they've halted an element of Russian tanks north of Kyiv by blowing up a key bridge. The Ukrainian defense¹⁰ minister called on residents in a northwest suburb of Kyiv to prepare Molotov cocktails¹¹ for the ongoing¹² fighting.

MARTINEZ: So, Tim, what does all this mean for the next few days?

MAK: Well, the outlook really still looks quite bleak¹³ for the Ukrainians. So while they're claiming some positive news, there are some signs that the Russian military is pushing closer to Kyiv. And more troops have been seen in Belarus, headed in the direction of the capital city. A senior American defense official says that this is just the initial stage of a longer, larger-scale attack and invasion, with the Russians making the taking of Kyiv one of their key priorities. Western intelligence predicts that Kyiv will be encircled and that the Russian military will be able to do so soon due to overwhelming military superiority. A senior Western intelligence official says that the Russian government seeks the removal of the Ukrainian government and the installation of a puppet regime, also foreseeing a brutal¹⁴ occupation ahead.

MARTINEZ: How do things look, generally, on the ground where you are?

MAK: From the folks that we've been speaking to out here, there's a real sense of shock. I mean, many Ukrainians did not think the war would break out in such a dramatic and large-scale fashion. We spoke¹⁵ to Halyna Oleksander (ph), a Ukrainian who gathered along with many men of all ages in a town square in central Ukraine to enlist¹⁶ in the military.

HALYNA OLEKSANDER: It's unbelievable for all of us because always they said that we are brothers; we are brother nations.

MAK: Ukrainians are still digesting what this dramatic development means for their future. But what is clear is that military-age males all across this country are mobilizing for the coming fighting.

MARTINEZ: That's NPR's Tim Mak. Tim, thanks a lot.

MAK: Thanks so much.

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 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

3 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

6 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。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 clogs   

木屐； 木底鞋，木屐( clog的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Clogs are part of the Netherlands national costume. 木屐是荷兰民族服装的一部分。
• Clogs are part of the Dutch traditional costume. 木屐是荷兰传统装束的一部分。

9 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

10 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。

11 cocktails   

n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物

参考例句：

• Come about 4 o'clock. We'll have cocktails and grill steaks. 请四点钟左右来，我们喝鸡尾酒，吃烤牛排。 来自辞典例句
• Cocktails were a nasty American habit. 喝鸡尾酒是讨厌的美国习惯。 来自辞典例句

12 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。

13 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

14 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

15 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。

16 enlist   

vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍

参考例句：

• They come here to enlist men for the army.他们来这儿是为了召兵。
• The conference will make further efforts to enlist the support of the international community for their just struggle. 会议必将进一步动员国际社会，支持他们的正义斗争。