Russia’s onslaught continues amid optimism over talks

By ANDREA ROSA
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces are raining fire on Kyiv and other major cities, with Ukrainian authorities saying an airstrike destroyed a theater where hundreds of people were sheltering in Mariupol. There was no immediate word of deaths or injuries from Wednesday’s theater attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, went before the U.S. Congress via video to plead for help from America, saying: “We need you right now.” And U.S. President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a ”war criminal” — his sharpest condemnation of Putin since the invasion. Biden said the U.S. is sending an additional $800 million in military aid to Ukraine.