VOA慢速英语2017 乌克兰与亲俄武装换囚庆新年（在线收听）

Ukraine, Pro-Russian Forces Trade Prisoners to Mark the New Year

Ukraine and pro-Russian separatist rebels had the largest exchange of prisoners on Wednesday since the start of the conflict in 2014.

乌克兰同亲俄分离主义反叛分子周三进行了2014年冲突开始以来最大规模的换俘行动。

The exchange allowed hundreds of former prisoners to return home ahead of the New Year and Orthodox Christmas.

这次换俘使得数百名战俘得以在新年和东正教圣诞节前回到家中。

More than 10,000 people have died in the war. Reports of deaths and injuries continued daily this year despite a ceasefire in 2015.

已经有超过1万人在这次冲突中死亡。尽管2015年实现了停火，今年仍然每天都有伤亡报告。

The mother of a Ukrainian prisoner received a call from her son Oleksandr Oliynyk. He said, “Mum, I’m already here.”

一位乌克兰战俘的母亲接到了儿子Oleksandr Oliynyk的电话。他说：“妈妈，我已经回来了。”

She told a Ukrainian news channel, “You cannot imagine what it means for a mother, to not see your child for three-and-a-half years, since August 2014.”

她对乌克兰一家新闻频道表示：“你无法想象一位母亲从2014年8月份开始的三年半时间里都看不到自己的孩子意味着什么！”

The Ukrainian government in Kiev agreed to hand over 306 prisoners to the pro-Russian rebels and to receive 74 prisoners in return.

乌克兰政府同意将306名战俘移交给亲俄叛乱分子，并接收74名战俘。

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko confirmed on social media “All 74 Ukrainian hostages are already at home, on the territory controlled by our army.”

乌克兰总统波罗申科在社交媒体上证实“所有74名乌克兰人质已经回到了家中，站到了我们军队控制的领土。”

Poroshenko added that among the prisoners handed to Ukraine were a historian and a “cyborg” - the nickname Ukrainians gave to soldiers who defended Donetsk airport in one of the conflict’s most intense battles in 2014.

波罗申科补充说，移交给乌克兰的战俘中包括一名历史学家以及一名“机械人”- 这是授予在2014年冲突的一场最激烈战斗中守卫顿涅茨克机场的士兵的昵称。

The exact number of prisoners returned to rebel-held territory is unclear. Viktor Medvedchuk is Ukraine’s representative to ongoing peace talks. He told the Russian news agency TASS that some captives refused to return.

返回反叛分子控制领土的战俘确切人数尚不清楚。维克多·梅德维奇（Viktor Medvedchuk）是乌克兰方面参与仍在进行的和谈的代表。他对俄罗斯塔新社表示，一些战俘拒绝回国。

TASS reported that Medvedchuk also expected more exchanges in 2018. The Ukrainian state security service said 103 prisoners remained in separatist hands.

塔斯社报道称，梅德维奇还预计2018年会交换更多战俘。乌克兰国家安全局表示有103名战俘还在分裂分子手中。

The exchange came as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson asked Russia to “lower the level of violence” in eastern Ukraine.

这次换俘正值美国国务卿蒂勒森要求俄罗斯“降低乌克兰东部的暴力水平。”

Russian officials in Moscow did not comment on the exchange. Ukraine and its Western allies say the Russian government supports the pro-Russian separatists with troops, cash, and heavy weapons. Moscow denies the claim.

莫斯科的俄罗斯官员并未对这次换俘发表评论。乌克兰及其西方盟友表示，俄罗斯政府向亲俄分离分子支援了士兵、现金和重武器。莫斯科否认了这一说法。

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the exchange in a joint statement. They said both sides should release the remaining captives.

德国总理默克尔和法国总统马克龙在一项联合声明中对这次换俘表示欢迎。他们表示双方都应该释放剩余的战俘。

Germany’s foreign ministry said it was an important step in acting on the ceasefire agreement agreed in the Belarus capital Minsk. The agreement was signed by Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France in early 2015.

德国外交部表示，这是践行在白俄罗斯首都明斯克达成的停火协议的重要一步。2015年初乌克兰、俄罗斯、德国以及法国签署了这一协议。

“Above all, it is also an important humanitarian gesture before the New Year and Orthodox Christmas,” a foreign ministry statement said.

德国外交部发表声明称：“最重要的是，这是新年和东正教圣诞节之前一项重大的人道主义举动。”

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Words in This Story

nickname – n. a name that is different from your real name but is what your family, friends, etc., call you when they are talking to you or about you

humanitarian - adj. having the quality of making other peoples' lives better

gesture - n. something said or done to show a particular feeling or attitude