It's just after 07:00 in Ukraine, and we're resuming our live coverage. Here's a recap of our main story these last few hours:

Ukraine has confirmed that some of the hundreds of fighters trapped for more than two months in Mariupol's Azovstal steelworks have been evacuated from the plant.

They were taken to Russian-backed rebel towns in the eastern Donbas region.

Russia said a deal had been reached, and Ukraine said the troops would be exchanged for captured Russian soldiers.

But in his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cautioned that the Ukrainian troops may not be freed immediately, and warned that negotiations over their release will require "delicacy and time".

You can read more here.

This is Tessa Wong and Zubaidah Abdul Jalil in Singapore, stay with us as we bring you the latest developments.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Thank you for joining our live coverage of the war in Ukraine, now entering its 83rd day. We're ending our rolling coverage now, but will be back by Tuesday morning Ukraine time.

• Ukraine's defence ministry said that 264 defenders of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol had been evacuated to separatist-held territory in Ukraine's breakaway Donbas region
• The evacuees include 53 badly wounded Ukrainian troops, as well as 211 others
• The defenders of the steel plant have been praised by Ukrainian leaders for distracting Russia for weeks in its offensive against eastern Ukraine
• "Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes alive," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address to the nation early Tuesday morning
• Ukraine's military leadership said the Azovstal plant's defenders forced Russia to keep around 20,000 troops in Mariupol, preventing them from rapidly capturing other parts of the country

• Sweden has joined Finland in formally announcing it will seek Nato membership, but Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan says he will veto the bids, accusing the two Nordic countries of harbouring terrorists

• President Putin has warned that placing missiles or creating permanent bases in either Sweden or Finland would provoke a response - while maintaining the proposed memberships represent “no direct threat” to Russia
• Ukrainian troops defending the northern city of Kharkiv have pushed Russian troops back to within within 4km of the Russian border, a US defence official says

• Britain’s most senior military officer says Ukraine is winning the war. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said its future as an independent country was guaranteed
• McDonald's and Renault are both exiting the Russian market following the invasion of Ukraine

Fast food chain McDonalds has announced it will permanently leave the Russian market after more than 30 years, and plans to sell all its restaurants.

The opening of the first McDonald's restaurant in Moscow in 1990 came to symbolise a thaw in Cold War tensions, a year before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

But today's Moscow residents seem to take the news of no more McDonald's outlets in their stride, with one saying the chain didn't offer "any health benefits" to the populace so its closure would be "for the best".

Another said he had managed to live in Siberia for 16 years without access to McDonald's and "everything was pretty good".

But one regular did confess she would miss her favourite ice cream.

Image source, Swedish Armed Forces

Earlier we brought you the news that Sweden had decided to join Finland in applying for membership to Nato.

But the accession process may no longer be as straightforward, or swift, as was first assumed - after Turkey's president said he would not approve either Sweden or Finland's bid, accusing them of harbouring terrorists - namely Kurdish militant groups.

Under the terms of Nato, members agree to come to one another's aid if they face armed attack.

The ratification process had been expected to take up to a year - even before Turkey's objections.

Norway, Iceland and Denmark have said they would support their "Nordic neighbours" by "all means necessary" should they come under attack before their Nato applications go through.

Similar support has been offered from the US, the UK, Germany and France - but no legally binding guarantees of military aid.

Sweden's decision - like Finland - to join the military alliance was welcomed by almost all in the 30-strong alliance.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he fully supported the move on Monday.

But any membership bid must be unanimously approved by all Nato members.

Image source, Reuters

Reuters news agency has taken a series of pictures it says show the buses carrying Ukrainian fighters evacuated from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

It says the buses were seen driving away from the plant and arriving in Novoazovsk under the escort of pro-Russian forces.

Men can be seen being transferred on to stretchers from the buses.

As we have been reporting, Ukraine's deputy defence minister says 53 heavily injured fighters were taken to Novoazovsk, a town in eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed rebels.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Volodymyr Zelensky has said an operation to "save the defenders of Mariupol" has started, but added the work will require "discretion and time".

Ukraine's defence ministry says 264 fighters have left the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol and been taken to areas held by Russian-backed rebels.

The 264 troops rescued from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol are being taken to two Russian-held parts of Ukraine, according to Ukraine's defence ministry.

"On 16 May, 53 badly wounded people from Azovstal were evacuated to a medical facility in Novoazovsk to be given medical assistance," Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said in a video statement.

"Another 211 people were taken to Olenivka via a humanitarian corridor," she said.

"For their future return home, an exchange procedure will be carried out."

Both cities are in the breakaway eastern Ukrainian region known as the Donbas. They were each captured by Russian-backed separatists in 2014.

Maliar added that Ukrainian troops are working to rescue the remaining forces inside the Azovstal plant.

Image source, Handout

Image source, Reuters

Azovstal steelworks has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance against Russia's invasion.

Hundreds of fighters have been holed up in the tunnels beneath the massive industrial plant, defending the last Ukrainian stronghold in the besieged city of Mariupol.

The strategically located port city came under massive bombardment from Russian forces early in the invasion.

Taking the city would allow them to complete a land bridge between Crimea and the Donbas region, as well as giving Russia full control of more than 80% of Ukraine's Black Sea coastline.

Ukraine says the Russian bombardment and siege of the city killed tens of thousands of people, with reports of bodies lying in the streets. Moscow denies having targeted civilians.

Pummelled with artillery, rockets and missiles, 90% of the city has been damaged or destroyed, Ukrainian officials say.

Only Azovstal held out.

Its defenders had said they were "buying time" for the rest of Ukraine to battle Russian forces and secure Western arms needed to withstand Russia's assault.

Until 10 days ago, there were also hundreds of civilians sheltering at the steel plant, with food, water and medicine in short supply.

It took about a week to evacuate the women, children and the elderly who had been trapped there for more than a month, in an operation coordinated by the UN and the Red Cross, which concluded on 7 May.

Since then, it's believed only the fighters remain - many having vowed to die fighting rather than surrender.

Image source, Reuters

The Ukrainian military's general staff has said that fighters evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol are "heroes of our time".

In a message posted to Facebook, army chiefs said the determination of the Ukrainian troops had forced Russia to keep around 20,000 troops entrenched around the city and "hindered the implementation of the plan for the rapid capture of Zaporizhzhia".

"Forging the enemy's core forces around Mariupol has given us the opportunity to prepare and create the defensive frontiers on which our troops are still present today and give a decent counterpoint to the aggressor," the post said.

"We got the critically needed time to build reserves, regroup forces, and get help from partners," military chiefs went on.

The post added that some fighters remain trapped at the plant and said measures to "rescue defenders who remain in the territory of Azovstal are ongoing".

Image source, Handout

The 82th day of Ukraine's defence was a "difficult" one, President Volodymyr Zelensky says in his nightly Facebook speech, which begins by addressing the latest situation in Mariupol.

"Thanks to the actions of the Ukrainian military - the Armed Forces of Ukraine, intelligence, the negotiating team, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations, we hope that we will be able to save the lives of our guys," says Zelensky.

"Among them are the seriously wounded. They are being provided with medical aid."

"I want to emphasise: Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes alive," he continues.

"This is our principle. I think that every adequate person will understand these words."

Zelensky added that the work "to bring the boys home" continues in Mariupol while other fighting continues to rage in the country's east.

Ukraine's troops "are repelling constant attacks in those areas where Russia is still trying to advance", he said, pointing to the city of Severodonetsk as one of Russia's main targets.

Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar says the 264 wounded Ukrainian fighters rescued from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol would be exchanged for captured Russian soldiers.

Ukraine's defence ministry has confirmed that an operation to evacuate fighters from the besieged Azovstal steelworks is under way.

Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said that 53 heavily injured fighters were taken to the town of Novoazovsk, held by Russian-backed rebels. Another 211 were evacuated using a humanitarian corridor to another rebel-held location, Olenivka,

As we reported earlier, Reuters news agency says about a dozen buses carrying Ukrainian fighters who were holed up beneath the besieged plant have been seen leaving the site.

Image source, EPA

Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko is still advising residents who have fled to a safer location to stay there, rather than return to Ukraine's capital at present.

"We can't 100% guarantee safety to everyone," the mayor told BBC World.

Russian forces have moved away from Kyiv and refocused their attack on the east of the country, after being pushed back from areas around the capital earlier on in the invasion.

Klitschko said the city was "slowly returning to life" with cafes and bars reopening, but warned Kyiv remained "a target for Russian aggressors" - with air raid warnings still sounding and night-time curfews in place.

He calculated at least one million of Kyiv's pre-war population had not yet come back to the city, and said Kyiv was "still empty", with the country ravaged by war, damaged infrastructure and rising unemployment.

Image source, Reuters

We've news of what appears to be a development at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.

About a dozen buses carrying Ukrainian fighters who were holed up beneath the besieged plant have been seen leaving the site, Reuters news agency is reporting.

This has not been confirmed by Ukrainian authorities and the BBC cannot verify it independently.

A senior commander of Ukrainian forces at the besieged plant said earlier in a post on social media that fighters there were carrying out a decision by the Ukrainian military high command to save the lives of service personnel, but he gave no details of what the decision was.

Earlier we reported that Russia's Ministry of Defence said it had reached an agreement with Ukraine for wounded soldiers to be evacuated from the besieged Azovstal steelworks.

Image source, .

Jonathan Beale
BBC defence correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Russia's President Putin and his military chief, General Valery Gerasimov, are believed to be directly intervening in Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine and taking decisions normally made by more junior officers - according to a Western military source.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the source said: “We think Putin and Gerasimov are involved in tactical decision-making at a level we would normally expect to be taken by a colonel or brigadier.”

The military source said the two were the ones making decisions about troop movements in the Donbas – the area of eastern Ukraine which is now the focus of Russia’s military offensive.

There have already been suggestions that President Putin has become more involved in the day-to-day running of the military campaign, ever since Russia suffered setbacks in the north of the country and around the capital Kyiv.

There’s also been recent speculation that Russia’s military chief, General Gerasimov, may have been sidelined – along with unsubstantiated rumours that he was injured while visiting the Donbas a few weeks ago.

But the Western military official made clear that Russia’s chief of the general staff was still giving orders. “Gerasimov is up and running,” he said.

Image source, Getty Images

One of the Soviet Union's best known car brands could be about to make a comeback, after car company Renault announced plans to transfer 100% of Renault Russia to the city of Moscow.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Renault's car factory in the city would be nationalised and repurposed to produce Moskvich cars, which were last produced over 20 years ago.

The Moskvich, which means Muscovite, was the first Soviet-produced car made for individual use, rolling off the production line in 1946.

It was designed to be sturdy and affordable, made from parts produced in the Soviet Union and communist East Germany.

Sobyanin said the move would "open a new page in the history of the Moskvich", adding that the plant would produce conventional cars to begin with, but could make electric cars in the future.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Paul Adams
BBC Diplomatic correspondent

Image source, Reuters

For Finland and Sweden to join Nato, all 30 existing members must say yes. But for now, one is saying no.

President Erdogan says he won’t agree to admit countries which apply sanctions on Turkey.

Sweden suspended arms sales to Turkey three years ago, following Ankara’s military intervention in Syria. And according to the official Turkish news agency, both Finland and Sweden have rejected dozens of requests to extradite Kurdish militants who Turkey describes as terrorists.

Both countries are sending delegations to Ankara to try and solve the problem, but President Erdogan says they shouldn’t bother.

He seems determined to extract a price for his precious vote. On Sunday, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was confident that Finland and Sweden would both join, despite Turkish objections.

The issue is likely to dominate discussions between Mr Blinken and his Turkish opposite number in Washington on Wednesday.

Having encouraged the two Nordic countries to apply, Washington won’t want to let them down at the 11th hour.

• Sweden and Finland confirm Nato plans in historic shift

Image source, EPA

If you're just joining us, here's a recap of the latest events in Ukraine to bring you up to speed:

• Sweden has joined Finland in formally announcing it will seek Nato membership, but Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan says he will veto the bids, accusing the two Nordic countries of harbouring terrorists

• President Putin has warned that placing missiles or creating permanent bases in either Sweden or Finland would provoke a response - while maintaining the proposed memberships represent “no direct threat” to Russia
• Ukrainian troops defending the northern city of Kharkiv have pushed Russian troops back to within within 4km of the Russian border, a US defence official says

• Britain’s most senior military officer says Ukraine is winning the war. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said its future as an independent country was guaranteed
• McDonalds and Renault are both exiting the Russian market, following Moscow's decision to invade Ukraine

Quentin Somerville
Reporting from Kharkiv

Serhiy drove like a maniac, barrelling along a dirt road at 65mph (100km/h). Three of us were crammed in the back and the seat belts didn't work.

But that was the least of anyone's worries - up ahead lay our destination, and it was being shelled by Russian artillery.

The village lay at the edge of Izyum, where Russian forces are concentrated. The artillery barrage was ending as we descended into the cool darkness of the shelter.

After its failure to take the whole country, Russia is focused instead on taking Ukraine in pieces. The men in the bunker - and there are many of them - are here to ensure that doesn't happen.

The BBC's Quentin Somerville spent a day under fire with some of Ukraine's Territorial Defence. Read his story.

Image source, .

Theo Leggett
BBC International Business Correspondent

As we've been reporting, two major international brands have announced they are pulling out of Russia.

The carmaker Renault is selling its Moscow factory and its stake in the manufacturer of Lada cars, in a deal that amounts to nationalisation of its Russian business.

Meanwhile, fast-food giant McDonalds says it is preparing to sell its Russian restaurants to a local buyer. Both companies are expected to write off investments worth billions of dollars.

Renault had initially resisted calls to leave Russia. But after the company was directly criticised by Ukraine's President Volodymir Zelensky, along with other French firms, for allegedly "sponsoring the Russian war machine", it suspended its Russian operations.

Now, it is pulling out altogether, abandoning assets including its Moscow factory and its 68% stake in Avtovaz, the maker of Lada cars.

Meanwhile, McDonalds says it is looking to sell its entire chain of restaurants in Russia - which have been closed since early March.

It says continued ownership of the business is no longer tenable, or consistent with its values. It is removing its branding from its outlets there, a process it describes as "de-arching".