Azov

The advance of Russian forces in the northern Kharkiv region was successfully halted by Ukrainian forces, according to Michael Carpenter, a representative of the US National Security Council, in a televised interview. Carpenter highlighted the high number of Russian casualties and emphasized that their objectives were not met.

The "Azov" brigade resumed combat tasks at the front.

This was announced at a briefing by the spokesman of the Main Directorate of the National Guard of Ukraine, Colonel Mykola Urshalovich, quoted by "Unian".

"The legendary Azov brigade was replenished and began to perform combat tasks in the Serebryansk Forest region," he said.

Day 528 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Alamy Photo

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has held a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, discussing Türkiye's relations with Ukraine and the grain deal.

In the forests near the city of Zaporizhzhia, training of three new regiments of special Ukrainian units of Azov is underway, although it is believed that those units were destroyed in Mariupol.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has destroyed hundreds of hospitals and other institutions, left doctors without drugs to fight cancer and made operations impossible, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine said on May 5 Russia was "trying to destroy" its remaining soldiers holed up in Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant, with Kiev's last defenders in the battered city saying Moscow forces have broken into the giant factory.

"Russian occupiers are focusing on blocking and trying to destroy Ukrainian units in the Azovstal area," Kiev's army said in a statement.

But while the war in Ukraine's steel and coal belt bordering Russia may have settled into a tense stalemate, Azov is building in momentum, forging ties with far-right extremists beyond Ukraine's borders.