Ukraine war

Bangladesh, where consumers are feeling the pain at the pump, is looking for cheaper fuel options. (Photo by Shahru Nayef)
International relations

Bangladesh eyes cheap Russian fuel oil to lower import bills

Dhaka wary of antagonizing West but desperate to ease inflation, forex pressure

27 August 2022
A Russian oil field. China, along with India, has been known to be a major buyer of Russian crude.
Commodities

Chinese refiner admits buying Russian oil for 'risk control' and 'price'

Shanghai Petrochemical under pressure from rising procurement costs

26 August 2022
The tanker Sun Arrows loads its cargo of liquefied natural gas from the Sakhalin-2 project in the port of Prigorodnoye, Russia.
Energy

Mitsubishi set to join new Sakhalin-2 Russian operator

Trading house, along with Mitsui, responds to Tokyo's call to ensure LNG supply

25 August 2022
A woman holding a doll belonging to her granddaughter stands outside her destroyed house in Potashnya, on the outskirts of Kyiv. 
The Nikkei View

Russia must pull out of Ukraine and restore international order

6 months into war, Putin's recklessness has disrupted global food, energy supply

24 August 2022
Facade lights have been turned off at the Frauenkirche, Church of Our Lady, to save energy in Dresden, Germany on Aug. 22. 
Indo-Pacific

China throws Europe an energy lifeline with LNG resales

Surplus gas eases Russia's stranglehold, but gives Beijing outsize influence

24 August 2022
Russian politologist Alexander Dugin addresses the rally "Battle for Donbas" in support of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, in Moscow, on Oct. 18, 2014. 
Comment

A Moscow car bomb threatens to further radicalize nationalists

Assassination of daughter of 'Putin's brain' triggers conspiracy claims

23 August 2022
East Asia has continued to import fossil fuels from Russia despite the invasion of Ukraine. (Source photos by AP and Reuters)
Ukraine war

Japan, South Korea, Taiwan buy $5.5bn of Russian fuel: think tank

East Asian powerhouses keep importing even as others shun Russian oil and gas

23 August 2022
People attend an exhibition displaying destroyed Russian military vehicles in central Kyiv.
22 August 2022
Some commodity prices have returned to their prewar levels, partly thanks to an agreement allowing grain carriers to leave Ukrainian ports, but Asian consumers are not benefiting. (Nikkei montage/Reuters)
Market Spotlight

Six months since Russia attacked Ukraine: Will grain prices drop?

Expert warns of possible 'second wave' as fertilizer costs remain a problem

22 August 2022
Vladimir Putin in Osaka in June 2019: One crucial name appears to be missing from the guest list.
Opinion

Japan must not leave Putin off the guest list for Abe's funeral

Kishida should seize chance for talks as West lacks strategy to end Ukraine war

22 August 2022
People in some Western countries have become more receptive to Russian propaganda as their focus shifts from the war in Ukraine to daily struggles with inflation.
Datawatch

Russia gains ground in information war against Ukraine

Social media data shows Moscow winning more backers in Western countries

21 August 2022
A projectile is launched during live-fire drills by the People's Liberation Army on Aug. 4: Geographic distance from East Asia makes European involvement in a conflict over Taiwan a long shot.
Opinion

Europe is cheering for Taiwan but its hands are full with Ukraine

Despite economic ties, bloc would impose sanctions on China if war erupts

18 August 2022
China launched a bank settlement network as an alternative to SWIFT in 2015.
Currencies

China and Russia step up bid to challenge U.S. dollar's dominance

Moscow pushes BRICS reserve currency plan while Beijing expands yuan network

17 August 2022
Facilities that appear to have been upgraded at Lop Nur nuclear test site in Western China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region: (1) Sixth tunnel, (2) support and supply facilities, and (3) power transmission infrastructure.
The age of 'Great China'

Satellite photos show China's new nuclear test site in Xinjiang

Experts ask whether a nuclear arms race with the U.S. is underway

15 August 2022
Methods of spreading disinformation are evolving as more people use chat apps on smartphones. (Source photos by Reuters and Ken Kobayashi)
Society

Abe's assassination shows fake news is still very much a threat

Disinformation is crossing borders, seeping into chat apps: BBC editor

14 August 2022
The M/V Riva Wind is shown departing from a Ukrainian port near Odesa carrying 50,000 tons of grain on Aug. 7. (Photo courtesy of Harvest Commodities)
Agriculture

Indonesia's Arsari ships grain from Ukraine, Russia

Cooperation with U.S.-Swiss company among first since U.N. deal

9 August 2022
The yuan is increasingly being seen as an alternative currency as Russian companies seek to cut their dependence on the U.S. dollar as Western sanctions put a squeeze on their operations.
Caixin

Yuan bonds debut in Russia as challenge to dollar dominance builds

Firms increasing use of Chinese currency to side-step Ukraine war-related sanctions

9 August 2022
The Russian Aleksin corvette fires missiles during a parade in Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad region of Russia on July 31.
Ukraine war

Russian military relies on Western, Asian tech components: study

Microelectronics from U.S., Japan, Taiwan, South Korea found in weapons systems

8 August 2022
Daniil, 16, stands in front of what's left of his school. He had one year to go before finishing his studies. He now dreams of moving somewhere stable.  (Photo by Eiji Furukawa)
Ukraine war

All my friends are gone: A young Ukrainian in Kharkiv

Many of those left in the city hole up in bombed-out carcasses of buildings

8 August 2022
The logo of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). OPEC+, which includes Russia and other producers, announced on Wednesday an output hike of 100,000 barrels a day to start next month.
Commodities

Russia looms large behind OPEC+ output hike decision

Experts see country's role affecting group's bid to prevent sharp fall in prices

6 August 2022
A tanker loads LNG from the Sakhalin-2 project in October 2021. President Vladimir Putin has handed control of the energy project partly owned by Japanese companies to a Russian company.
Energy

Russia's latest move on Sakhalin-2 energy project: 4 things to know

As 1-month countdown ticks off, concerns mount over Japan's LNG supply

4 August 2022
North Korea and Russia have grown closer since the onset of the Ukraine war. Moscow has raised the possibility of having North Koreans work to help build the devastated Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. (Source photos by KCNA/Reuters, Reuters and AFP/Jiji) 
N Korea at crossroads

Russia grows closer to North Korea amid international isolation

Moscow floats idea of using workers provided by Pyongyang to rebuild Donbas

3 August 2022
An employee of Sakhalin Energy stands at the Sakhalin-2 project's liquefaction gas plant in Prigorodnoye.
Energy

Mitsui, Mitsubishi slash value of Sakhalin-2 stakes by $1.66bn

As uncertainty spreads, Japanese trading houses shoulder the burden

2 August 2022
Top diplomats set to meet for ASEAN talks. From left: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (Source photos by AP and Reuters)
International relations

ASEAN to host ministerial talks amid Myanmar crisis, Ukraine war

Meetings to include U.S., China as Pelosi's possible Taiwan visit raises tensions

2 August 2022
A firefighter works to douse a fire in a building, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Mykolaiv, in this handout picture released on July 31. 
Ukraine war: Free to read

Ukraine from July 8 to Aug. 1: Russian strikes kill Ukrainian grain tycoon

Grain ship leaves port of Odesa, Ukrainian minister says; Gazprom cuts gas to Latvia

1 August 2022