Ukraine War Turns Once-Lively Bakhmut into Ghost-like City

Ukraine War Turns Once-Lively Bakhmut into Ghost-like City

The war in Ukraine has completely changed the eastern city of Bakhmut.

The city used to be a popular tourist site, where visitors could explore the area's late 19th century buildings. The city also has a large lakeside park and offers locally-produced wines.

But that has all changed. The longest battle against invader¹ Russia has turned Bakhmut into a ghost town. Bakhmut sits about 100 kilometers from Russia's border.

Even after months of bombings and attempts to surround Bakhmut, Russian forces have not captured the city. But, the continued attacks have made it impossible for civilians² there to have a normal life.

Ukrainian Petro Voloschenko is a soldier known on the battlefield as Stone. He told the Associated Press about current life in the city, "It's hell on earth right now; I can't find enough words to describe it."

The 44-year-old Voloschenko, who comes from Kyiv, arrived in the area in August when the Russian attacks started. Since then, he has celebrated³ his birthday, Christmas and New Year's in Bakhmut.

Today, the city is in ruins. Most houses have been crushed completely or are so damaged they cannot be lived in.

Only a few thousand people remain in the city, which had a prewar population of 80,000. Those people rarely see daylight though because they spend most of their time sheltering underground.

Explosions happen all hours of the day. And, Russia could bomb the city anywhere at any time.

Bakhmut lies in the Donetsk area, one of four provinces Russia illegally seized in the autumn. But currently⁴, Russia only controls about half of the province. To take the remaining half, Russian forces must go through Bakhmut, said Mykola Bielieskov. He is a researcher at Ukraine's National Institute for Strategic⁵ Studies.

"Without seizure⁶ of these cities, the Russian army won't be able to accomplish the political task it was given," Bielieskov said.

The situation in Bakhmut worsened during the summer after Russia took the last major city in neighboring Luhansk province. It then sent troops and equipment into the effort to capture Bakhmut. Ukraine did the same to defend the city.

In a recent speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in Bakhmut as "very tough."

"These are constant Russian assaults⁸. Constant attempts to break through our defenses" Zelenskyy said.

For now, Bakhmut remains⁹ completely under the control of Ukraine's army. In January, Russian forces seized the town of Soledar, which sits less than 20 kilometers away. But Russia's push into the area has been very slow, military experts say.

Words in This Story

tourist – n. someone who visits a place for pleasure and does not live there

wine – n. an alcoholic¹⁰ drink made from the juice of grapes

ghost town – n. a once lively, successfully town emptied of all or most life and activity

hell – n. a place or state of torture and suffering

province – n. a large area some countries are divided into because of the kind of government they have

accomplish – v. to succeed in doing something good

task – n. a piece of work, especially something unpleasant or difficult

tough – adj. hard or difficult

constant – adj. happening a lot or all the time

assault⁷ – n. an attack

1 invader   

n.侵略者，侵犯者，入侵者

参考例句：

• They suffered a lot under the invader's heel.在侵略者的铁蹄下，他们受尽了奴役。
• A country must have the will to repel any invader.一个国家得有决心击退任何入侵者。

2 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。

3 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

4 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

5 strategic   

adj.战略（上）的，战略上重要的

参考例句：

• The army moved for strategic reasons.军队作了战略转移。
• The bridge is of strategic importance to us.这座桥对我们至关重要。

6 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

7 assault   

v.猛烈地攻击，袭击；n.突然而猛烈的攻击

参考例句：

• She appeared in court on charges of kidnapping and assault.她因受到拐骗和侵犯人身的指控而出庭。
• The trainees were put through an assault course.受训人员接受了突击训练课程。

8 assaults   

突击

参考例句：

• Both men were charged with assault. 两人均被控侵犯他人身体罪。
• The army renewed its assault on the capital. 军队重新发动对首都的攻击。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。