It's mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know

Fierce fighting has taken place in Ukraine’s south as Kyiv’s forces attempt to regain territory taken by Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has praised Kyiv's forces for holding off Russian assaults in the east, saying Ukrainian troops are “advancing, position by position, step by step” and “are moving forward.” :

• Ukraine claims territorial gains: Ukraine's military has recaptured eight settlements from invading Russian forces in the south of the country over the past two weeks, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Monday. In a Telegram post, Maliar said offensive operations in the directions of Berdiansk and Melitopol, both in the Zaporizhzhia region, had liberated multiple communities. 
• Air defenses holding up: Zelensky said not a single US Patriot air defense system has been destroyed in Ukraine and that nearly three dozen missiles and about 50 attack drones were destroyed over the past week. He added that the Ukrainian Air Force carried out more than 100 strikes on enemy positions over the past week.
• What Russia says: The Russian government contradicted a report from its own installed official in occupied southern Ukraine Sunday, refuting his claim that Kyiv's forces took back a village near the Zaporizhzhia front. “An attack on Piatykhatky was repulsed. Over a dozen tanks, armored vehicles and (Armed Forces of Ukraine) manpower destroyed,” a battalion press center wrote in a post on the Russian Ministry of Defense's Telegram page. CNN cannot independently verify either side's reports on battlefield developments.
• A new tactic from Moscow: Russia’s Ministry of Defense has claimed that a Ukrainian stronghold was destroyed by a remotely-controlled tank packed with a huge amount of explosives, in what appears to be a new battlefield tactic. In a post on its Telegram channel at the weekend, the ministry said that “about 3.5 tons of TNT and 5 FAB-100 bombs" were packed into the tank. 
• Russians claim shelling in Donetsk: Russian-backed authorities in the Donetsk region say that a 6-year-old child and about 20 people have been injured by Ukrainian shelling of the town of Volnovakha. The town is on a crucial land route between the frontlines and Russian-occupied Mariupol. 
• Zelensky presses the West: Zelensky has continued to urge the West for military supplies, telling UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about Ukraine's need for longer-range weapons in a recent phone call.
• UN censures Russia: The United Nations has condemned Moscow for denying humanitarian aid access to occupied areas affected by the Nova Kakhovka dam collapse earlier this month. The UN urged Russian authorities "to act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law."
• Flood's ongoing impact: The death toll in the major dam collapse has risen to at least 45 people, officials said Sunday. The flood also carried filthy water downstream and off the southern coast, posing serious health risks.