Ukraine’s capital under threat as Russia presses invasion

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops bore down on Ukraine’s capital Friday, with gunfire and explosions resonating ever closer to the government quarter, in an invasion of a democratic country that has fueled fears of wider war in Europe and triggered worldwide efforts to make Russia stop.

Amid growing casualties from the deadly warfare — including shelling that sliced through the facade of a Kyiv apartment building, bridges and schools — the Kremlin said Russia was ready to talk with Ukrainian officials.

That came even as there were also increasing signs that Vladimir Putin’s Russia may be seeking to overthrow Ukraine’s government, in his boldest effort yet to redraw the world map and revive Moscow’s Cold War-era influence.

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