Russia has launched a major offensive into eastern Ukraine, authorities in Kyiv said, opening a new phase of its invasion after being thwarted in efforts to capture the capital. In recent weeks, Moscow's military campaign has refocused on the eastern region of Donbas, which pro-Kremlin separatists have partly controlled since 2014. "We can now confirm that Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, which they have been preparing for a long time," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram late Monday.