又中又英 | Audacious Attack | 褚简宁

　　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!

　　这一切就像玩电子游戏一样，却是真实发生的。大为惊奇的美国和欧洲军事策略家说，乌克兰大胆突袭（audacious attack）俄罗斯内陆，歼灭（take out）俄罗斯战机，揭示了21世纪的仗要怎样打。An audacious attack是大胆、勇敢、不寻常的袭击，攻击者愿意为之冒险。习语“take out”在这里是解击毁或杀掉。乌克兰上星期日击毁（take out）俄罗斯境内，泊在不同空军基地战机的大胆突袭（audacious attack），共花了约18个月去策划。军事计划者偷运大货车穿越乌克兰与俄罗斯的边境。

　　这些货车装有流动木屋，令其看上去像普通货柜车，但这些流动木屋屋顶能被遥距控制，内藏无数的细小无人机。这些货车泊在几个俄罗斯空军基地附近，当攻击时机成熟，乌克兰军方就遥距打开货柜上的屋顶，激活无人机。传媒报道指，无人机摧毁或破坏俄罗斯许多能发动核子攻击的prized warplanes——a prized warplane就是重要而价值不菲的战机。

　　《纽约时报》说，现代战争要如何进行，乌克兰完全「翻转了剧本」（flipped the script）——to flip the script是指不同于一般的做法，用截然不同甚或相反的方式去做某事。乌克兰用上随处在商店也能买得到、约600美元，并不昂贵的无人机，击毁俄罗斯价值约1亿美元的战机。乌克兰特工在袭击后亦能成功越境逃脱。或许荷里活某天会将这次大胆突击（audacious attack）拍成电影！

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻