meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Ukrainecast

The Midwife in the Bomb Shelter

Ukrainecast

BBC

News Commentary, News

4.71K Ratings

🗓️ 22 August 2023

⏱️ 30 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

One woman’s story of helping to deliver 136 babies in 42 days from a warzone.

Midwife Vira Tselyk tells Lucy and Vitaly about the 42 days she spent working from a bunker, helping to deliver over a hundred and thirty babies.

We also talk to Emma Mateo, who got caught in the deadly attack in Chernihiv - where a six-year-old girl is among seven people who died after a Russian missile strike on the historic city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine.

And, the BBC’s Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse discusses the thousands of men avoiding the draft.

Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Josh Jenkins, Sam McLaren and Ivana Davidovic. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330 1239480

You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord.

TOPICS:

01:44 - The midwife in the bomb shelter 17:48 - Chernihiv attack 25:12 - The men avoiding the Ukrainian draft

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Бибіці-сounds, музик, радіоподкаст.

0:05.0

It's 545 days since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

0:11.0

In today's episode, we're going to speak to a midwife in Cherniv, called Vera Silik.

0:16.0

At the start of the war, she spent 42 days down in a bunker, helping to deliver 136 babies.

0:24.5

Але моя сім'я мене зрозуміла, вони...

0:28.0

вони знали, що я не можу поступить по іншому.

0:32.0

My family understood that I could not have made a different decision.

0:38.0

Мабо тому що я дуже люблю свою роботу.

0:41.0

Possibly, because I love my work so much.

0:45.0

Я люблю свою її доджок і свою доджок.

0:49.0

Я дуже хочу, щоб вони народжили.

0:53.0

Я люблю мої сім'я, я люблю мої сім'я.

0:57.0

Я хочу збередати доджоги.

1:02.0

Це was a really emotional interview for all of us.

1:05.0

There are talks of the challenges that she, her patients, and their babies all had to face in those six weeks.

1:11.0

But also of the sacrifice that she made,

1:13.0

because she didn't see her family at all during that period.

1:17.0

This is Ukraine cost.

1:19.0

Ukraine cost from babies to babies.

1:22.0

Ukraine is an epicenter of unbearable heart age and pain.

1:26.0

Humans of people are without heating, without water.

1:30.0

Who is the aggressor?

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.