May 6 events in Babelʼs review: Another 500 civilians were taken out of Azovstal, a Russian frigate is burning near Zmiyiny

From the very beginning of Russiaʼs full-scale war against Ukraine, Babel has been conducting daily live text coverage and promptly informing the main news on the Telegram channel. We also make a daily digest of the most important events of the day in case you have not been able to follow live.

The previous night Armed Forces shot down 14 Orlan drones and one plane — a previous Su-30 fighter. On the evening of May 5, the Russians fired at one of the last gas stations in Luhansk Oblast and at the nearby Sievierodonetsk-based Azot railway facilities. There was a threat of fire in the companyʼs tanks, but rescuers managed to prevent it in time. Kramatorsk was shelled again last night. In Mykolayiv oblast the Russian invaders struck "Tornado" and "Mosquito" multiple rocket systems. Russian troops used aircraft and artillery in the city of Huliaipole, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. With massive shelling, they are destroying the infrastructure of the city of Orikhov. In Kharkiv Oblast, the Security Service of Ukraine captured 11 Russian snipers who fired on Ukrainian positions.

Ukraine has carried out the next stage of the evacuation of people from Mariupol and Azovstal. Almost 500 civilians were evacuated. The Azov Regiment said that during the ceasefire on the territory of Azovstal, the Russians lined up a car that was going to evacuate civilians. One fighter was killed, and six were injured. Russian troops have violated agreements on the safe evacuation of civilians. According to Mikhail Podoliak, an adviser to the head of the Presidentʼs Office, the Russians are preparing a "parade of prisoners" in Mariupol on May 9. To do this, in addition to prisoners of war, they plan to change into civilian clothes.

Another exchange of prisoners took place. Iryna Vereshchuk said that 41 people had been returned, including 11 women. 28 military and 13 civilians are going home. Among those released is the rector of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

The Pentagon estimates that most Russian forces have moved away from Mariupol and moved north of the city, but the missile strikes and bombings and the assault on Azovstal do not stop. In addition, the Pentagon sees no signs that Belarus plans to participate directly in the war in Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden will sign the land lease law on Monday, May 9, said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

A Russian frigate of the Petrel project 11356R is burning near Zmiyiny Island. Now enemy aircraft are circling over this area in the Black Sea, and rescue ships have left the occupied Crimea. It is probable that the ship was hit by the Ukrainian Neptune complex. The publication does not specify the name and number of the frigate, but Peopleʼs Deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko reports that the Admiral Makarov frigate is on fire. The US and British reconnaissance drones are circling over the probable site of the shipwreck.

The foreign ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia — Gabrielius Landbergis, Edargs Rinkevics, and Eva-Maria Liimets — arrived in Kyiv.

Germany will hand over seven self-propelled artillery units PzH 2000 to Ukraine. Border guard dog trainers and their service dogs, who studied sapper work in Lithuania, will return to Ukraine in the near future.

Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Medvedev said that Poland seeks to annex the west of Ukraine. According to him, the territorial claims were made by President Andrzej Duda. Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the head of the Presidentʼs Office, called such statements "the spirit of Zhirinovsky."