Ukraine's resistance in the long-running siege of its city of Mariupol is over.
More than 260 soldiers cornered underground by the Russians have now been evacuated, and many of them are badly wounded.
Ukraine is hailing their effort as a symbolic victory, but now NATO may have its own tricky problem with Finland and Sweden.
The siege in Mariupol has been long, bloody, and deadly, but the Ukrainian defenders holed up beneath the Azovstal steelworks in the city have chosen to live.
From the labyrinth below, the commander announced that he was carrying out a decision to save the lives of service personnel. Buses carrying the wounded regiment were seen leaving soon after.
"Ukraine needs its Ukrainian heroes alive. This is our principle," said Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
It marks the end of a three-month effort to distract Russian troops, tie up their resources, and keep them from conquering the east - and it has worked.
This was the battle for Kharkiv as seen through the eyes of counter-attacking Ukrainians. Soldiers managed to repel the Russian advance toward the country's second city with strength, spirit, and powerful weapons from the West.
The invaders retreated in a hurry, blowing up bridges as they went.
Evidence of their military misadventure decorates the roadside, but the threat still hovers overhead. Russia frequently uses drones to convey real-time information and pinpoint Ukrainian artillery.
Finland and Sweden's efforts to avoid war completely are also proving difficult. Their path to NATO membership is in the hands of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who warned they didn't have his vote.
"We would not say 'yes' to those who impose sanctions on Turkey joining NATO, which is a security organisation," he said.
Security is the most fragile commodity in Europe - and everyone's ready to fight for it.
