KIEV, July 21 – Ukraine’s economy expanded 6.3% on the year in January through June, growing almost twice as fast as the government had expected, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Wednesday.

The economic expansion was led by robust growth in manufacturing, transportation and retail sectors, Azarov said.

“We have observed the growth of the gross domestic product in the first half of the year,” Azarov told a government meeting on Wednesday.