Russian missiles rain on Ukrainian towns as war nears half-year mark

Russia fired rockets at towns to the west of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine on Monday while the capital Kyiv banned rallies this week to commemorate independence from Soviet rule for fear of Russian attacks, as Russia’s war on Ukraine neared the half-year mark.

Artillery and rocket fire close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor complex, on the Russian-occupied south bank of the Dnipro River, has stirred fears of a nuclear disaster and calls for the surrounding area to be demilitarised. 

Ukraine and Russia have traded blame for the repeated shelling.

China boosts spend on Russia energy to $35 bn since Feb 24

China continues to expand its reliance on Russian energy, with purchases of crude, oil products, gas and coal rising to $35 billion since the war in Ukraine began on February 24, from about $20 billion a year earlier. Although import values have been inflated by the global spike in energy prices due to the conflict, China is still taking more volumes, sometimes at discounted rates, from its strategic ally, according to the latest customs figures covering March through July (Bloomberg).