Elderly Ukrainian-Jewish woman injured in Russian shelling of Kyiv

An elderly Jewish woman was lightly injured in Russian shelling of Kyiv on Thursday evening, Ukraine's chief rabbinate said on Friday.

The woman, said to be over 80 years old, was injured in Russian shelling that killed a Ukrainian mother and daughter on Thursday.

Rabbi Moshe Reuven Azman, one of Ukraine's chief rabbis, only discovered the injuries sustained by the woman, only referred to by the rabbi as Ms. Tsapovsky, when visiting the targeted Kyiv neighborhood to lay a wreath in honor of the killed woman and her child. 

Azman also visited the injured woman in a local medical facility and received an update on her condition from the medical staff.

According to the rabbinate, the Ukrainian chief rabbi visited the woman a week before the Russian shelling, carried out as part of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine that began last year.

Tsapovsky told Azman she had been blessed with a miracle, as she was only lightly injured compared to her neighbors, the rabbi said. She thanked the chief rabbi for the Ukrainian Jewish community's well wishes and support.

Tsapovsky is heavily reliant on the goodwill of fellow Kyiv Jewish community members, who have been providing her with medicine and food during wartime.

"The world must end the war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine," Azman said following his visit. "Uninvolved civilians, elders, women and children among them, are being killed every day."

Heavy Russian shelling on Ukrainian capital continues

Ukrainian forces in Kyiv said on Friday they shot down 36 Russian missiles and drones in and around the capital overnight, with two people injured by falling debris before authorities lifted air raid alerts across most of the country.

Russia has launched about 20 missile and drone attacks on Kyiv since the beginning of May, a surge in strikes that the government says appears aimed at derailing Ukraine's preparations for a major counter-offensive.

Reuters contributed to this report.