又中又英 | Audacious Attack | 褚簡寧

　　It was like playing a video game, but it was real. Astonished US and European military planners said Ukraine’s audacious attack deep inside Russia to take out Russian warplanes showed how wars will be fought in the 21st century. An audacious attack is a bold, courageous, and unusual attack in which the attacker is willing to take risks. The expression “take out” used this way means to destroy or kill. Ukraine’s audacious attack last Sunday to take out Russian warplanes parked at different airfields across Russia took about 18 months to plan. Military planners smuggled large trucks across Ukraine’s border with Russia.

　　The trucks contained mobile homes and sheds to make them appear like normal cargo. But numerous small drones were hidden inside the mobile homes and sheds, which had roofs that could be remotely controlled. The trucks were parked near several Russian airfields. When it was time to attack, the Ukrainian military remotely opened the roofs of the cargo and activated the drones. Media reports said the drones destroyed or damaged many of Russia’s prized warplanes, which were capable of nuclear attacks. A prized warplane is an important and valuable warplane.

　　The New York Times said Ukraine flipped the script on how wars are fought.  To flip the script means to do something completely differently or in the opposite way from how it’s usually done. Ukraine used inexpensive drones costing about US$600 that are available in stores to destroy and damage Russian warplanes costing about US$100 million. The Ukrainian agents escaped across the border after the attack. Maybe Hollywood will make a movie about the audacious attack one day!

　　這一切就像玩電子遊戲一樣，卻是真實發生的。大為驚奇的美國和歐洲軍事策略家說，烏克蘭大膽突襲（audacious attack）俄羅斯內陸，殲滅（take out）俄羅斯戰機，揭示了21世紀的仗要怎樣打。An audacious attack是大膽、勇敢、不尋常的襲擊，攻擊者願意為之冒險。習語“take out”在這裏是解擊毀或殺掉。烏克蘭上星期日擊毀（take out）俄羅斯境內，泊在不同空軍基地戰機的大膽突襲（audacious attack），共花了約18個月去策劃。軍事計劃者偷運大貨車穿越烏克蘭與俄羅斯的邊境。

　　這些貨車裝有流動木屋，令其看上去像普通貨櫃車，但這些流動木屋屋頂能被遙距控制，內藏無數的細小無人機。這些貨車泊在幾個俄羅斯空軍基地附近，當攻擊時機成熟，烏克蘭軍方就遙距打開貨櫃上的屋頂，激活無人機。傳媒報道指，無人機摧毀或破壞俄羅斯許多能發動核子攻擊的prized warplanes——a prized warplane就是重要而價值不菲的戰機。

　　《紐約時報》說，現代戰爭要如何進行，烏克蘭完全「翻轉了劇本」（flipped the script）——to flip the script是指不同於一般的做法，用截然不同甚或相反的方式去做某事。烏克蘭用上隨處在商店也能買得到、約600美元，並不昂貴的無人機，擊毀俄羅斯價值約1億美元的戰機。烏克蘭特工在襲擊後亦能成功越境逃脫。或許荷里活某天會將這次大膽突擊（audacious attack）拍成電影！

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻