Reservist in Ukraine, with a surprising past, had to decide whether to stay and fight

Reservist in Ukraine, with a surprising past, had to decide whether to stay and fight

Transcript¹

Yuliya Tolopa grew up in southern Russia but is now a reservist in the Ukrainian army and a hero in her adopted country.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Ukraine has now called up all military reserve units to help push back against Russian forces. NPR's Joanna Kakissis met one reservist with a surprising past and a tough choice to make about fighting. Here's an update to her story, which we first brought you earlier this month.

YULIYA TOLOPA: (Non-English language spoken).

JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE²: Yuliya Tolopa is a war hero. She's got an entire box of medals for bravery. I met her a few weeks ago before Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She laid out her medals on her kitchen table.

TOLOPA: (Through interpreter). I got this one from the Ukrainian National Assembly. I received this because I was injured on the front lines. And this one was awarded to foreigners who came to defend the Ukrainian people.

KAKISSIS: That this baby-faced 26-year-old became a defender³ of Ukraine is surprising when you consider she's a Russian. Tolopa grew up in Russia's southwest, mentored⁴ by local Cossacks, a community of hardcore Russian nationalists with a paramilitary ethos.

TOLOPA: (Through interpreter) They taught us how to fight, how to use weapons. It was militaristic. Our school used to always send groups of students to competitions in shooting and grenade throwing.

KAKISSIS: She also heard her Russian nationalist friends repeating Kremlin conspiracies⁵ about Ukraine.

TOLOPA: (Through interpreter) They started with all this propaganda about Russians being killed there, and you aren't allowed to speak Russian there at all. And if you come and say just one word in Russian, they'll kill you, hang you. And I was like, how come?

KAKISSIS: In the spring of 2014, she decided⁶ to go see for herself and took a train to Kyiv. There, she found a totally different story. The Ukrainians welcomed her.

TOLOPA: (Through interpreter) I saw the lies that Russia was putting out. They wanted to grab a chunk⁷ of this country.

KAKISSIS: Tolopa got angry. She headed east and volunteered to fight alongside Ukrainian soldiers like Valerii Vlasov.

VALERII VLASOV: (Through interpreter) I thought, oh, my God, what is this child doing here? But soon I realized she was a fighter. She was brave.

KAKISSIS: Her past and present collided on that battlefield. The Russian nationalists she grew up with, including her ex-boyfriend, were on the other side of the front line.

TOLOPA: (Through interpreter) He used to tell me, I'll find you. I'll take you away. I promised your mother I'll bring you back. And I was like, are you nuts? How do you imagine doing this?

KAKISSIS: She told him, if I see you in front of me, I will shoot you.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

STASIK: (Singing in Ukrainian).

KAKISSIS: Tolopa is now a Ukrainian citizen, and she's even appeared in this patriotic⁸ video by Ukrainian singer Stasik. But being a soldier is more complicated now. Tolopa has a 6-year-old daughter.

MIRA TOLOPA: (Non-English language spoken). Mira Tolopa, OK (laughter). (Non-English language spoken).

KAKISSIS: Mira's in a checkered⁹ shirt and a tutu. She's heard her friends at school say the Russians are mad at Ukraine, that they will do something scary.

MIRA: No, I don't scared. I nothing scared - just a spider.

KAKISSIS: Mira has heard the name Vladimir Putin, and she wonders, is he a spider? She glances at her mom's fatigues¹⁰ hanging on a coat rack.

You don't want her to go.

MIRA: No, I - don't go.

KAKISSIS: You don't. Yeah.

I called her mom again after the Russian invasion to see if she decided to go to the battlefield. She said she couldn't do it. If something happens to me, she told me, who would care for my daughter? Yuliya and Mira Tolopa are now sheltering together in western Ukraine.

Joanna Kakissis, NPR News, Kyiv.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

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 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。

3 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

4 mentored   

v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They had a fantastic dean who really mentored a lot of people. 那儿的教务长非常出色，的确为许多人提供了指导。 来自互联网
• The famous professor mentored him during his years in graduate school. 那位著名的教授在他读研究生期间指导他。 来自互联网

5 conspiracies   

n.阴谋，密谋( conspiracy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was still alive and hatching his conspiracies. 他还活着，策划着阴谋诡计。 来自辞典例句
• It appeared that they had engaged in fresh conspiracies from the very moment of their release. 看上去他们刚给释放，立刻开始新一轮的阴谋活动。 来自英汉文学

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

8 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

9 checkered   

adj.有方格图案的

参考例句：

• The ground under the trees was checkered with sunlight and shade.林地光影交错。
• He’d had a checkered past in the government.他过去在政界浮沉。

10 fatigues   

n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服

参考例句：

• The patient fatigues easily. 病人容易疲劳。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Instead of training the men were put on fatigues/fatigue duty. 那些士兵没有接受训练，而是派去做杂务。 来自辞典例句