Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Blurred lines: On the U.S.’s new move in the Ukraine war

Blurred lines: On the U.S.’s new move in the Ukraine war

The U.S. decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine blurs all moral lines

The Biden administration’s (प्रशासन, सरकार) decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion (आक्रमण, हमला) shows both the challenges Kyiv (Capital of Ukraine) and its western allies face (encounter, confront, deal with, experience) in the prolonged (लम्बा, दीर्घकालीन) war and the U.S.’s readiness (तत्परता, तैयारी) to escalate (बढ़ाना) it to push back (repel, repulse, prevent, force back, beat back, drive back/away, fend off) the Russians. Cluster munitions (it is a weapon that disperses or releases explosive submunitions: small, unguided explosives or bomblets (each weighing less than 20 kg) that are designed to explode prior to, on or after impact, according to the global ‘Convention on Cluster Munitions’ (CCM). Depending on the model, the number of submunitions dispersed or released by a cluster munition can vary from several dozens to over 600. Due to this, the submunitions get dispersed over a large area, remain unexploded for several years and cause significant civilian casualties) are designed to explode (विस्फोट करना) on impact, but many remain “duds”, which can explode later, causing indiscriminate (thoughtless, unthinking, unconsidered, careless, aimless, mindless, ill considered) harm — the reason why over 100 countries have banned them. The U.S., though not a signatory (हस्ताक्षरकर्ता) to the Convention (सम्मेलन, समझौता) on Cluster Munitions (bullets, shells, missiles), had criticised Russia in the recent past for using these munitions in the conflict as amounting to war crimes (युद्धकालीन अपराध). But the U.S.’s U-turn (reversal, reversal of policy, volte-face, about-face, sea change, change of mind, turnaround) now, as part of its 42nd aid (सहायता) package to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, points to (indicate, signify, represent) the strains (pressure, demand, burden, stress, tension, anxiety) Ukraine is facing on the battlefield. In a war dominated by artillery, Ukraine is entirely dependent on the West for weapons that include artillery shells (projectile, bomb, cartridge, bullet) and ammunition (a supply/quantity of bullets, shells, projectiles, missiles or bombs), while Russia’s industrial base (आधार) has picked up, ensuring an uninterrupted supply of weapons to the front lines (a place of conflict/war that is closest to the enemy; war zone, combat zone, battlefront, battleground, battlefield, theatre of war). The conventional (non-nuclear) war has strained western reserves (supply, stockpile; reinforcements), leaving Ukraine at a disadvantageous position when compared to Russia’s artillery superiority (श्रेष्ठता, प्रभुत्व).

Before Ukraine began its counteroffensive (जवाबी हमले) a few weeks ago, the western calculation (गणना, अनुमान) was that swift (quick, rapid, sudden, prompt, speedy) battlefield victories by Ukraine, like its lightning (very quick) counter-advances in Kharkiv and Kherson last year, would change the dynamics (basic/fundamental cause or force that triggers change within a system) and put Russia’s President Vladimir Putin under pressure. But the Russians, over the last few months, have built strong defence fortifications (reinforcement, strengthening, consolidation, buttressing, bolstering) along the over 1,000-km long front line (course of action, method, approach, policy), from Kherson in the south to the outskirts (outlying part of a city; suburbs) of Kharkiv in the northeast, which the Ukrainians have found extremely difficult to break through (advance, progress, penetrate, move forward, step forward, leap forward). Ukraine has made some minor territorial gains in southeast, but at a heavy cost, and is far from (not, not at all; nowhere near, a long way from) achieving its perceived (discernable, noticeable, recognizable; supposed, regarded, considered) breakthrough (very important/significant development or progress) of cutting off Mr. Putin’s landbridge in Zaporizhzhia, separating the Russian-controlled Donbas in the east from Crimea (a peninsula along the northern coast of the Black Sea in Eastern Europe. The peninsula is almost entirely surrounded by both the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The status of Crimea is disputed. It is claimed by Ukraine and in 2014 was recognized as Ukrainian by the United Nations and most other countries, but it is governed by Russia. Russia formally annexed Crimea on 18 March 2014) in the south. It is this reality of the battlefield that led the U.S. to take what President Biden called “the difficult decision” of sending cluster munitions. However, this would still raise criticism. The alleged (supposed, so-called, claimed, professed, reported, ostensible) war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine have been well documented and slammed internationally. Kyiv is also being accused of targeting civilian (non-military person, ordinary citizen) centres in the Donbas. But the U.S. has tried to draw a moral and ethical line, no doubt thin, by saying it was helping Ukraine defend itself. This line gets blurred with the decision to send the civilian killer munitions to the battlefield. It also shows that no side is willing to make a compromise (agreement, understanding, settlement, middle ground, deal) as yet, irrespective of their battlefield positions, as the war, even after 16 months of fighting, still stays in an escalation (intensification, aggravation, exacerbation) spiral (the process of deterioration, decline, decrease).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.blurred (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - धुँधला, अस्पष्ट
English Meaning - indistinct, unclear, fuzzy distorted, unfocused, lacking definition.

2.administration (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रशासन, सरकार
English Meaning - government, establishment, regime, system.

3.invasion (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आक्रमण, हमला
English Meaning - attack, offensive, onslaught, incursion, assault.

4.prolonged (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - लम्बा, दीर्घकालीन
English Meaning - lengthy, extended, protracted, unending, unrelenting.

5.readiness (noun)

Hindi Meaning - तत्परता, तैयारी
English Meaning - preparedness, willingness, inclination.

6.escalate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - बढ़ाना
English Meaning - increase, raise, intensify, heighten.

7.explode (verb)

Hindi Meaning - विस्फोट करना
English Meaning - blow up, detonate, burst.

8.signatory (noun)

Hindi Meaning - हस्ताक्षरकर्ता
English Meaning - the person who signed an official document/agreement.

9.convention (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सम्मेलन, समझौता
English Meaning - agreement, accord, treaty, compact, pact, protocol, deal.

10.war crime (noun)

Hindi Meaning - युद्धकालीन अपराध
English Meaning - According to the United Nations, a war crime is a serious violation/breach of international law committed against civilians or “enemy combatants” during an international or domestic armed conflict.

11.aid (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सहायता
English Meaning - support, assistance, help.

12.base (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आधार
English Meaning - foundation; foundational support.

13.superiority (noun)

Hindi Meaning - श्रेष्ठता, प्रभुत्व
English Meaning - dominance, supremacy, advantage.

14.counteroffensive (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जवाबी हमले
English Meaning - counterattack, fightback.

15.calculation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गणना, अनुमान
English Meaning - estimation, assessment, judgment, projection, prediction, expectation.

16.line (noun)

English Meaning - course of action, method, approach, policy.

17.move (noun)

English Meaning - action, act, step, measure.

18.cluster munition (noun)

English Meaning - it is a weapon that disperses or releases explosive submunitions: small, unguided explosives or bomblets (each weighing less than 20 kg) that are designed to explode prior to, on or after impact, according to the global ‘Convention on Cluster Munitions’ (CCM). Depending on the model, the number of submunitions dispersed or released by a cluster munition can vary from several dozens to over 600. Due to this, the submunitions get dispersed over a large area, remain unexploded for several years and cause significant civilian casualties.

19.blur (verb)

English Meaning - make indistinct/unclear, make vague, unfocus.

20.Kyiv (proper noun)

English Meaning - Capital of Ukraine.

21.ally (noun)

English Meaning - a country/state with an alliance with another one in which they promise to support each other militarily and to defend each other.

22.face (verb)

English Meaning - encounter, confront, deal with, experience.

23.push back (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - repel, repulse, prevent, force back, beat back, drive back/away, fend off.

24.on impact (phrase)

English Meaning - at the time of coming into contact with something; at the time of colliding with something.

25.dud (noun)

English Meaning - a faulty thing which is not working; defective/inoperative thing.

26.indiscriminate (adjective)

English Meaning - thoughtless, unthinking, unconsidered, careless, aimless, mindless, ill considered.

27.the Convention on Cluster Munitions (noun)

English Meaning - it is an international treaty that prohibits all use, transfer, production, and stockpiling of cluster munitions, a type of explosive weapon which scatters submunitions (“bomblets”) over an area.

28.munition (noun)

English Meaning - bullets, shells, missiles.

29.amount to (verb)

English Meaning - be equal to, be equivalent to, be tantamount to, represent, indicate, point to.

30.U-turn (noun)

English Meaning - reversal, reversal of policy, volte-face, about-face, sea change, change of mind, turnaround.

31.point to (verb)

English Meaning - indicate, signify, represent.

32.strain (noun)

English Meaning - pressure, demand, burden, stress, tension, anxiety.

33.the West (noun)

English Meaning - The Western world/civilization consisting of the majority of Europe & the North America.

34.artillery (noun as modifier)

English Meaning - firearms, guns, armaments, heavy weapons.

35.shell (noun)

English Meaning - projectile, bomb, cartridge, bullet.

36.ammunition (noun)

English Meaning - a supply/quantity of bullets, shells, projectiles, missiles or bombs.

37.pick up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - improve, get better, become better, progress, advance.

38.front line (noun)

English Meaning - a place of conflict/war that is closest to the enemy; war zone, combat zone, battlefront, battleground, battlefield, theatre of war.

39.conventional (adjective)

English Meaning - non-nuclear.

40.strain (verb)

English Meaning - overtax, overburden, overtask, push to the limit, exert excessively.

41.reserves (noun)

English Meaning - supply, stockpile; reinforcements.

42.swift (adjective)

English Meaning - quick, rapid, sudden, prompt, speedy.

43.lightning (adjective)

English Meaning - very quick.

44.advances (noun)

English Meaning - progress, headway, moving forward, forward movement.

45.dynamics (noun)

English Meaning - basic/fundamental cause or force that triggers change within a system.

46.consolidation (noun)

English Meaning - strengthening, reinforcement, fortification.

47.fortification (noun)

English Meaning - reinforcement, strengthening, consolidation, buttressing, bolstering.

48.outskirts (noun)

English Meaning - outlying part of a city; suburbs.

49.break through (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - advance, progress, penetrate, move forward, step forward, leap forward.

50.cost (noun)

English Meaning - loss, suffering, drawback, disadvantage.

51.far from (phrase)

English Meaning - not, not at all; nowhere near, a long way from.

52.perceived (adjective)

English Meaning - discernable, noticeable, recognizable; supposed, regarded, considered.

53.breakthrough (noun)

English Meaning - very important/significant development or progress.

54.cut off (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - break off, disconnect, discontinue; remove, separate.

55.land bridge (noun)

English Meaning - a narrow strip of land between two large land masses.

56.Donbas region (noun)

English Meaning - a historical, cultural, and economic region in south-eastern Ukraine, some of whose territory (Donetsk and Luhansk) is occupied by two separatist groups in the course of the Russo-Ukrainian War. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has recognized the independence of these two separatist regions in Ukraine.

57.Crimea (noun)

English Meaning - a peninsula along the northern coast of the Black Sea in Eastern Europe. The peninsula is almost entirely surrounded by both the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The status of Crimea is disputed. It is claimed by Ukraine and in 2014 was recognized as Ukrainian by the United Nations and most other countries, but it is governed by Russia. Russia formally annexed Crimea on 18 March 2014.

58.lead to (verb)

English Meaning - cause, result in, bring about, give rise to.

59.alleged (adjective)

English Meaning - supposed, so-called, claimed, professed, reported, ostensible.

60.slam (verb)

English Meaning - criticize, find fault with, censure, denounce, condemn.

61.civilian (noun as modifier)

English Meaning - non-military person, ordinary citizen.

62.compromise (noun)

English Meaning - agreement, understanding, settlement, middle ground, deal.

63.escalation (noun)

English Meaning - intensification, aggravation, exacerbation.