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Transcript/Script: Ukraine Springtime Battle (TV)
HEADLINE: Mobilization Underway Ahead of Expected Spring Counteroffensive in Ukraine
TEASER: Ukrainians prepare for widely expected spring counteroffensive
PUBLISHED AT: 05/07/2023 at 3:55 pm
BYLINE: Arash Arabasadi
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: AP/ REUTERS
SCRIPT EDITORS: Page, Bowman, Mia Bush
VIDEO SOURCE (S): AP/ REUTERS
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO __
TRT: 2:46
VID APPROVED BY: mia
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE: ))
(INTRO)
[[Ukrainians are on war footing, even if they’re not the ones on the front lines. A much hyped and widely expected spring counteroffensive could come any day now. But Ukraine’s Defense Minister recently warned against putting too much hope in his country’s counterstrikes. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.]]
((VAR, SOLDIERS TRAIN, CENTRAL UKRAINE, AP, 05/02))
((NARRATOR))
In central Ukraine, a familiar sight, as soldiers from the country’s National Guard train for combat. It’s not been uncommon for members of Ukraine’s military to ready themselves against invading Russian forces, now more than one year in-country.
But this training of an assault infantry squad is different, as it comes before a widely expected spring counteroffensive to erase the gains of the Russian winter offensive.
The Associated Press reports that Russia holds about one-fifth of the Ukrainian homeland.
((VAR, FARMING/LAND, POTOMKYNE, UKR, AP, 04/25))
((NARRATOR))
In places where Russian forces retreated, reminders remain of their presence. In southern Ukraine, where sunflowers once bloomed and farmers seeded wheat, there are now minefields threatening both lives and livelihoods.
[RADIO TRACK: Farmer Oleh Uskhalo speaking with The Associated Press.]
(Courtesy: AP)
((Oleh Uskhalo, Farmer ((MAN, UKRAINIAN))))
“It is quite possible to go bankrupt. We can go on for another year. Repair the equipment. But without government help (and) without compensation for the harvest of last year, which burned down. … If the fields will not be demined, we will not seed them.”
((VAR, FARMING/LAND, POTOMKYNE, UKR, AP, 04/25))
((NARRATOR))
Continued disruption of the agriculture industry could prove devastating for Ukraine, as that is the country’s primary source of export revenue, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
((BLOOD DRIVE, KYIV, UKR, AP, 05/06))
((NARRATOR))
In Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv, dozens rolled-up their sleeves to donate blood. And while some people have donated in the past, they know full well today’s blood drive could infuse the front lines with much needed support.
[RADIO TRACK: Blood donor Lilia Shkabura speaking with The Associated Press.]
(Courtesy: AP)
((Lilia Shkabura, Blood Donor))
“(It) saves lives. Even before the invasion, I donated the blood because we have a lot of operations or something like that when hospitals need new blood. And now it’s even more important because a lot of our fighters need operations and (blood) donations.”
((FILE, F-16, SIAULIAI MILITARY BASE, LITHUANIA, REUTERS, 01/08/2018))
((NARRATOR))
Fighters also need advanced Western military capabilities, like F-16 fighter jets, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who recently added that the spring counteroffensive will happen with or without them.
((VAR, TRAINING, DONETSK REGION, UKR, REUTERS, 05/07))
((NARRATOR))
In Ukraine’s Donetsk region, a juxtaposition of advanced capabilities and World War One-era readiness, with soldiers wearing masks as they train to find elevated chemical and radiation levels on the battlefield.
With Ukraine’s defense minister seeking to tamp down expectations of what a spring counteroffensive could yield, Zelenskyy recently stressed the importance of success in an interview with The Washington Post. Not just on one battlefield, he says, but in the eyes of his country’s Western backers as Ukraine seeks even more support.
((Arash Arabasadi, VOA News.))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
Washington D. C.
Embargo DateMay 7, 2023 16:41 EDT
Byline
((Arash Arabasadi, VOA News.))
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
