2023年02月08日 VOA慢速英语：乌克兰战争使曾经热闹的巴赫穆特变成鬼城

 
The war in Ukraine has completely changed the eastern city of Bakhmut.
乌克兰战争彻底改变了东部城市巴赫穆特。
 
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.
这座城市曾经是一个受欢迎的旅游景点，游客可以在那里探索该地区 19 世纪晚期的建筑。该市还有一个大型湖滨公园，提供当地生产的葡萄酒。
 
But that has all changed. The longest battle against invader Russia has turned Bakhmut into a ghost town. Bakhmut sits about 100 kilometers from Russia's border.
但这一切都变了。与入侵者俄罗斯的最长战斗已将巴赫穆特变成一座鬼城。巴赫穆特距俄罗斯边境约 100 公里。
 
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 civilians there to have a normal life.
即使经过数月的轰炸和包围巴赫穆特的企图，俄罗斯军队仍未占领这座城市。但是，持续不断的袭击使那里的平民无法过上正常的生活。
 
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."
乌克兰人 Petro Voloschenko 是一名在战场上被称为 Stone 的士兵。他告诉美联社目前这座城市的生活，“现在就像人间地狱；我找不到足够的词来形容它。”
 
The 44-year-old Voloschenko, who comes from Kyiv, arrived in the area in August when the Russian attacks started. Since then, he has celebrated his birthday, Christmas and New Year's in Bakhmut.
来自基辅的 44 岁的 Voloschenko 在 8 月俄罗斯袭击开始时抵达该地区。从那时起，他就在巴赫穆特庆祝生日、圣诞节和新年。
 
Today, the city is in ruins. Most houses have been crushed completely or are so damaged they cannot be lived in.
今天，这座城市已成废墟。大多数房屋已被完全压塌或损坏得无法居住。
 
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.
这座战前人口为 80,000 的城市只剩下几千人。这些人很少见日光，因为他们大部分时间都躲在地下。
 
Explosions happen all hours of the day. And, Russia could bomb the city anywhere at any time.
一天中的所有时间都会发生爆炸。而且，俄罗斯可以随时随地轰炸这座城市。
 
Bakhmut lies in the Donetsk area, one of four provinces Russia illegally seized in the autumn. But currently, 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 Strategic Studies.
巴赫穆特位于顿涅茨克地区，这是俄罗斯在秋季非法占领的四个省份之一。但目前，俄罗斯只控制了该省的一半左右。Mykola Bielieskov 说，要拿下剩下的一半，俄罗斯军队必须穿过 Bakhmut。他是乌克兰国家战略研究所的研究员。
 
"Without seizure of these cities, the Russian army won't be able to accomplish the political task it was given," Bielieskov said.
“如果不夺取这些城市，俄罗斯军队将无法完成赋予它的政治任务，”别列斯科夫说。
 
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.
在俄罗斯占领邻近的卢甘斯克省的最后一个主要城市后，巴赫穆特的局势在夏季恶化。然后，它派遣部队和装备努力夺取巴赫穆特。乌克兰也同样保卫这座城市。
 
In a recent speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in Bakhmut as "very tough."
在最近的一次讲话中，乌克兰总统沃洛德米尔·泽连斯基 (Volodymyr Zelenskyy) 将巴赫穆特的局势描述为“非常艰难”。
 
"These are constant Russian assaults. Constant attempts to break through our defenses" Zelenskyy said.
“这些是俄罗斯不断的攻击。不断试图突破我们的防御”，泽伦斯基说。
 
For now, Bakhmut remains 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.
目前，巴赫穆特仍完全处于乌克兰军队的控制之下。1 月，俄罗斯军队占领了距离不到 20 公里的索莱达尔镇。但军事专家说，俄罗斯进入该地区的行动非常缓慢。