譯/高詣軒
烏克蘭青少年笑看戰爭苦難
The yawning crater, carved by a Russian missile strike and flooded with water, cut a jagged path through the middle of a city street. The small clique of teenagers passing by found it funny.
一枚俄國飛彈炸出的大窟窿被水淹沒,在城市的街道中央截開一道鋸齒狀小徑。路過的一小群青少年認為這很有趣。
"Look, it's our local pond," said Denys, 15. "We could dive in for a swim."
「你們看,這是我們在地的池塘」,15歲的丹尼斯表示,「我們可以跳下去游個泳」。
In their baggy sweatshirts, backpacks looped over one shoulder, youths walk the streets of Sloviansk, a front-line town in eastern Ukraine, for lack of anything else to do on a spring afternoon.
在烏克蘭東部的前線城鎮斯拉夫揚斯克,青少年們身穿鬆垮的運動衫、單肩背著後背包在街上漫步,因為他們在這個春日下午沒別的事可做。
They slip past soldiers in full combat gear, carrying rifles and headed to the trenches about 20 miles away, and watch military trucks rumble past, kicking up clouds of dust. They are living their teenage years in a holding pattern because of the war that rages around them — without prom, graduation ceremonies, movie theaters, parties or sports.
他們快步走過全副武裝、帶著步槍前往大約20英里外戰壕的軍人,看著軍用卡車隆隆駛過,揚起漫天塵土。他們的青春歲月因為周遭的烽火而停滯定格,沒有畢業舞會、畢業典禮、電影院、派對或體育活動。
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has caused tremendous direct damage, killing tens of thousands of people and forcing millions of Ukrainians from their homes. But the war has also claimed another casualty: the normal experiences of teenagers like those in Sloviansk who live near combat zones, hanging out in ravaged cities where rockets fly in regularly.
俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭造成巨大的直接損害,奪走數萬人性命,迫使數百萬烏克蘭人離開家園。這場戰事也造成另一個傷害:住在斯拉夫揚斯克這類戰區附近青少年的正常經驗。他們在飽受摧殘的城市裡消磨時間,火箭彈經常飛過。
"I wish I had an ordinary life," said a 16-year-old named Mykyta.
「我希望我有正常的生活」,16歲的米凱塔說。
His days, he said, have boiled down to walks with friends and playing video games in his room. "We studied this whole city, we know every corner," Mykyta said. "It's not so fun anymore."
他表示,他成天要不是和朋友一起散步,就是在房間裡玩電動遊戲。「我們把整座城市都研究過一番,每個角落都很熟了」,米凱塔,「如今已索然無味」。
During a meandering walk around town on a recent afternoon, a half-dozen teenagers said they mostly handled the hardships of war, and the terror of Russian attacks, with humor — making fun of everything around them, including one another. They are identified only by their first names because of their ages.
近日某個下午,6名青少年在城裡漫步時說,他們大多以幽默來應對戰爭的艱苦與俄軍攻勢的恐怖,將周遭一切化為玩笑來取樂,包括他們彼此。由於年齡之故,報導中僅以名字而非連名帶姓稱呼他們。
Sloviansk, a small city on a crossroads that was briefly occupied by Russian proxy forces in 2014, was again afflicted by war after the full-scale invasion last year. Front lines drew close, and artillery strikes began to pound the city. It is seen as a likely next target if Russia captures Bakhmut, its neighbor to the east.
斯拉夫揚斯克是坐落在關鍵位置的小城,2014年曾短暫遭到俄國代理人部隊占領,去年俄軍全面入侵後又再次陷入戰火。前線逼近,砲火開始襲擊城市。如果俄軍拿下鄰近其東邊的巴赫姆特,此城被視為是下一個可能的目標。
And yet many teenagers remain despite the danger, their parents held to the city by jobs or a reluctance to abandon their homes and live as refugees. The youths' last day in a school classroom was Feb. 23, 2022, the day before Russia invaded. Authorities canceled all organized activities for young people, lest a rocket hit a gathering.
但即使危險四伏,許多青少年還是待在這裡;他們的父母因工作而需留在該城,或者不願棄守家園過難民生活。這些年輕人最後一次在學校教室上課的日子是2022年2月23日,俄羅斯入侵的前一天。當局取消了所有為年輕人籌辦的活動,以防火箭彈襲擊聚會。