A Ukrainian Twitch influencer's community rallied around him when Russia invaded

A Ukrainian Twitch¹ influencer's community rallied around him when Russia invaded

Transcript²

Pavel, a Twitch streamer based in Ukraine who goes by Bobi, used skills he honed playing a video game to escape the war.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The livestreaming platform Twitch is where you can find a Polish Ukrainian influencer who's raising money for refugees fleeing the Russian assault on Ukraine. He goes by Bobi. And he grew his fan base on a popular Russian war simulation game called Escape From Tarkov. When the bombing started in eastern Ukraine, his online community helped him to escape a real war. Here's Micah Loewinger from WNYC's On The Media.

MICAH LOEWINGER, BYLINE³: Bobi is an expert at Escape From Tarkov. He started playing several years ago to get his mind off the war in Donbas, just 70 miles from his home, where Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists have been fighting since 2014.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BOBI: No, PMC (ph). Guys, be careful - PMC.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: You're dead?

BOBI: I'm dead. PMC.

LOEWINGER: It's a first-person shooter set in a fictional⁴ Russian war zone, kind of like Call Of Duty but way more hardcore. Bobi became obsessed⁵ with Escape From Tarkov for a couple reasons. First, he loved the brutal⁶ challenge. You have to be tactical and deliberate. If you let your guard down for a moment, you're dead.

BOBI: It clicked with me because buildings are looking like - I'm used to seeing this Eastern Europe in real life. And the story was matching place I was living.

LOEWINGER: For instance, in the game, you can play as one of two private military groups just like the early days of the war in Donbas, which was fought by militias⁷ formed by Ukrainian oligarchs. Over five years, he racked up 18,000 hours. That's two years of game time inside Tarkov.

BOBI: I was like a zombie using Tarkov as the only drug to keep me out from having any contact with reality.

LOEWINGER: When I think of an escape, I think of going to some fantasy land that's so unlike real life that it gets your mind off of it. But this sounds like you were just escaping into a gamified version of the world directly around you.

BOBI: In real life, majority of things are usually taken away from your hands if you like it or not. In Tarkov, majority of your outcome depends on you.

LOEWINGER: He began streaming on Twitch as a full-time⁸ job in early 2020, averaging about 40 regular viewers, a tiny but devoted⁹ following.

KEEFY: You fall in love with Bob.

LOEWINGER: This is Keith Bodinnar (ph), a 41-year-old operations manager living in the U.K. He goes by Keefy (ph) online. Keefy and a Canadian woman named Charlotte Wallans (ph), who goes by Lottie (ph), became his biggest fans.

KEEFY: Everybody says the same, he's infectious.

LOTTIE: Bobi takes everybody in who's kind and genuine, and he makes them a part of his family.

LOEWINGER: On February 24, just before 6 a.m. Ukraine time, bombs started to fall all around Bobi as he was live on Twitch playing Tarkov.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BOBI: I love you, guys. Thank you for whatever you've done.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Wish you good luck, brother.

BOBI: Thanks, brother.

LOEWINGER: Bobi bid a tearful goodbye to his online community and began a treacherous¹⁰ four-day, 900-mile journey with his family, as they navigated¹¹ their way towards Ukraine's western border.

BOBI: The first night was terrifying because we were in the middle of nowhere. And missiles started falling around us. We didn't know what to do.

LOEWINGER: Bobi checks Discord¹², an app popular among gamers, and sees that Keefy, Lottie and some of his viewers were checking in on him.

LOTTIE: We spent some time explaining, you're not alone. You're never going to be alone. We will be with you every step of the way. And we will watch over you guys over the internet while you're sleeping.

BOBI: I actually felt alive. I don't feel I'll die lonely because I'm surrounded with people who I've spent so many years and so many hours speaking together.

LOEWINGER: They woke up to shelling around 4:30 a.m. From Tarkov, he'd learned to estimate the distance between himself and his enemies by listening for their gunfire. In the midst of that morning's chaos¹³, he realized that the time between explosions seemed to be getting shorter.

BOBI: I told my family, we're leaving. And everyone was shouting, where are you going? They're bombing. I said, the shelling is around one-half kilometer away from us and is coming towards us, so we will go opposite direction.

LOEWINGER: Friends advised Bobi to stop using GPS apps. Instead, Lottie and Keefy fed instructions to him over the phone.

BOBI: Because I had their information - turn here, left, turn here, right - they were able to guide me through the countryside, which I never been before.

LOEWINGER: While he was focused on the immediate¹⁴ dangers of his journey, Boby had no clue that that emotional clip of him saying goodbye during his last livestream had gone viral.

BOBI: I was told that this was actually become so viral it was in the Singapore television, in Spain, in England in TV.

LOEWINGER: Hundreds of new fans were pouring into his Discord server and showering him with emotional and financial support.

BOBI: They were calling me a hero. And I was always saying, no, guys, I'm not. I'm just a runner who's running away from his life, and I'm doing nothing special.

LOEWINGER: As they approached western Ukraine, Bobi's online community warned that the borders were super clogged¹⁵ up.

LOTTIE: The vast majority of the Ukrainian refugees are fleeing through Poland. It is a 5 to 7-day wait right now in a car.

LOEWINGER: Lottie and Keefy found a small town where the family might be able to safely wait out the logjam. And when they arrived, they learned that a bread shortage was starting to take a toll¹⁶ on the town's elderly population.

BOBI: And this was the instance when I said, I'm done running. I said, we have money. Let's use this momentum¹⁷, what we have. Let's stay here and help those who are really forgotten in this whole conflict because if I run to Poland, I would - news from Ukraine, I would hear your mom or grandma, who is blind, suffering, going through it on her own without us, I would feel like a coward. I will not be able to watch myself in the mirror.

LOEWINGER: Bobi says he and his family will stay in this village to do humanitarian¹⁸ work with a nonprofit that Lottie set up called gamers4ukraine.com - that's four like the number four. He sent me pictures of packed grocery carts he says are for families passing through. And he told me he's already driven countless¹⁹ people to bus stops and train stations. They've also begun renovating²⁰ a building which will serve as a free hostel²¹ for refugees.

BOBI: For last few days, we are actually actively²² helping²³ families to run to safety. It changed my life forever because the mental and moral reward for help with no interest cannot be replaced by any other action or activity in life.

LOEWINGER: When this is all over, if it's all over, do you think you would go back to playing Tarkov 20 hours a day?

BOBI: (Laughter) Yes, of course. I miss it. I wish to be there.

LOEWINGER: At night, his family often stays in a bunker while Bobi volunteers, sitting in a watchtower to make sure Russian troops aren't coming down the main road into the town. If you go to his stream, twitch.tv/bobuubi, you can see him sitting in the dark in that tower, his face lit by a flashlight, chatting with his viewers - just chatting, he has no way of gaming right now.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BOBI: Hello, Fifi (ph). Hello. How are you doing, Fifi?

FIFI: Hello. Hello.

BOBI: How are you doing, brother?

FIFI: I'm fine. Thank you. What about you?

BOBI: I'm just cold. I'm fine, just cold (laughter).

LOEWINGER: For NPR News, I'm Micah Loewinger.

(SOUNDBITE OF KRONOS QUARTET'S "PEACE PIECE")

1 twitch   

v.急拉，抽动，痉挛，抽搐；n.扯，阵痛，痉挛

参考例句：

• The smell made my dog's nose twitch.那股气味使我的狗的鼻子抽动着。
• I felt a twitch at my sleeve.我觉得有人扯了一下我的袖子。

2 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。

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 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

5 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

6 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。

7 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

8 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

9 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

10 treacherous   

adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
• The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。

11 navigated   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的过去式和过去分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• He navigated the plane through the clouds. 他驾驶飞机穿越云层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The ship was navigated by the North Star. 那只船靠北极星来导航。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 discord   

n.不和，意见不合，争论，（音乐）不和谐

参考例句：

• These two answers are in discord.这两个答案不一样。
• The discord of his music was hard on the ear.他演奏的不和谐音很刺耳。

13 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

14 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

15 clogged   

（使）阻碍( clog的过去式和过去分词 )； 淤滞

参考例句：

• The narrow streets were clogged with traffic. 狭窄的街道上交通堵塞。
• The intake of gasoline was stopped by a clogged fuel line. 汽油的注入由于管道阻塞而停止了。

16 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

17 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

18 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

19 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

20 renovating   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The increased production was largely attained by renovating old orchards and vineyards. 通过更新老果园和葡萄园，使生产大大增加。
• Renovating that house will cost you a pretty penny. 为了整修那所房子，你得花很多钱。

21 hostel   

n.（学生）宿舍，招待所

参考例句：

• I lived in a hostel while I was a student.我求学期间住在青年招待所里。
• He says he's staying at a Youth Hostel.他说他现住在一家青年招待所。

22 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

23 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。