The cavalry has arrived, but they're much less use than we thought. The two-man rescue team of Commander Anatoly Solovyov and flight engineer Pavel Vinogradov finally docked with Mir this afternoon. It turns out, however, that they can't do anything to fix the crippled space station's oxygen generators.
Apparently they weren't carrying the required equipment: a special air supply pipe, which will arrive only in the fall. Until then, Mir's crew will have to keep lighting oxygen candles in order to breathe. In the meantime, they'll be able to console themselves with the one thing the cosmonauts did bring: souvenirs for everyone.