Ukraine war round-up: Azov fighter captivity horrors and Russia's Gen Armageddon

A five-storey residential building was destroyed in a Russian missile attack in Ukraine's southern city of Mykolaiv

Thursday saw a new wave of Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian targets, with reports that energy and military infrastructure facilities were damaged near the capital, Kyiv, and in the western Lviv region.

In southern Ukraine, deaths were reported after a five-storey residential building was hit in the city of Mykolaiv, and a dramatic footage showed a young boy being pulled from the rubble there. He later died, officials said.

Also in the south, the Russian-installed head of the mostly-occupied Kherson region urged civilians to evacuate to Russia, as Ukrainian troops continued their advance in the region.

In Russia, a residential building was hit in the border town of Belgorod, with the local authorities accusing Ukraine of carrying out the attack.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Western allies continued to harden their stance, with Nato's chief Jens Stoltenberg warning Russia of "severe consequences" if the country used nuclear weapons.

And at a summit in Kazakhstan, Russia's President Putin told his Turkish counterpart President Erdogan that Turkey could be used as a hub to deliver Russian gas to Europe - after leaks sprung in the two Nord Stream pipelines in northern Europe amid suggestions of sabotage.

Azov prisoners kept in inhumane conditions - freed fighter

Illia Samoilenko was released in a prisoner exchange last month

Ukrainian fighters who surrendered after weeks besieged deep under the Azovstal steelworks in the southern port city of Mariupol were kept in inhumane conditions by Russia, a released fighter has told the BBC.

Lt Illia Samoilenko told the BBC that he had been held in Russia in solitary confinement for 120 days and feared he would never return to Ukraine.

Russian forces, he said, confiscated his prosthetic arm after his capture.

The Azov Regiment fighter was released in a prisoner swap last month.

Lt Samoilenko, who is 28, lost his right eye and left arm after ammunition exploded in his hand while he was on a Ukrainian military mission against Russian-backed fighters in the eastern Donbas region, in 2018.

The first thing he bought when he returned to Ukraine was a pack of cigarettes, "to feel alive," he said.

"I'm happy to see the people who've been waiting for me, and the tears of joy in their faces and their smiles".

Read more from our Ukraine correspondent Hugo Bachega

UN General Assembly condemns Russia annexation

A screen at the UN in New York shows how some nations voted with green, red and yellow markers

The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn Russia's attempts to annex four regions of Ukraine - Donetsk and Luhansk in the east, and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south.

The assembly's resolution was supported by 143 countries, while 35 states - including China and India - abstained.

Russia and four countries rejected the vote: Belarus, North Korea, Syria and Nicaragua.

Although symbolic, it was the highest number of votes against Russia since the invasion. Read our piece in full here.

General Armageddon - Putin's hardline new commander

President Putin decorates Gen Surovikin for his work in Syria

General Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed "General Armageddon", is President Vladimir Putin's new tactic in the war against Ukraine.

His appointment was announced hours after the attack on the Crimean bridge last Saturday.

And the new leader's first day at work on Monday saw Ukraine hit by a huge wave of Russian missiles - one of the widest series of strikes witnessed for months.

But Gen Surovikin is not actually new to the war effort. He's been commanding troops on the front in southern Ukraine and, the day before the war began, was sanctioned by Europe for his military influence and relationship with President Putin.

This appears to be the first time Russia has officially named a commander for its entire military operation in Ukraine. Here's our full article.

What is Nato and what weapons is it supplying?

With US-made Himars rocket systems, Ukraine's forces can hit targets deep behind enemy lines

Countries from the US-led military alliance, Nato, have pledged air defence systems to Ukraine to help defend itself against Russian attacks, following two days of devastating strikes by Moscow earlier this week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that surface-to-air missiles are Ukraine's "number one priority".

But what is Nato, and how exactly it is helping Ukraine? Read our full explainer here.