Asian shares slide as Russia shells Ukraine nuclear plant

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were lower Friday in Asia after another bumpy day on Wall Street, as investors remain concerned about the broader impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Shares fell more than 2% in Tokyo and Hong Kong and declined in most other Asian markets. U.S. futures were lower. The S&P 500 fell 0.5% Thursday and the Nasdaq fell 1.6% as technology companies led the way lower.

Oil prices eased back from their recent highs and European markets also closed lower.

Russian troops were shelling Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, in Ukraine, raising worries over radiation risks.

A spokesman for the plant in Enerhodar, Ukraine, said in a video posted on Telegram that there was a “real threat of nuclear danger.” Andriy Tuz said shells were falling directly on the plant and had set fire to a reactor that was not operating but had nuclear fuel inside.

Elsewhere, Russian forces gained ground i n their bid to cut off the country from the sea, as Ukrainian leaders called on citizens to rise up and wage guerrilla war against the invaders.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index fell 2.3% to 25,962.27 while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong slipped 2.7% to 21,850.24. In Seoul, the Kospi declined 1.2% to 2,713.89. The Shanghai Composite index lost 0.9% to 3,449.40.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.8% to 7,097.40.

On Thursday, the S&P 500 fell 23.05 points to 4,363.49. The Dow slid 0.3% to 33,794.66. The Nasdaq dropped 214.07 points to 13,537.94.

Smaller company stocks also lost ground. The Russell 2000 index fell 26.46 points, or 1.3%, to 2,032.41.

The pullback left the indexes on pace for weekly losses, as meanwhile bond yields were mostly steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 1.85% from 1.86% late Wednesday.

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