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Inside the Russian Warehouses Bombarded by Ukraine

Middle-of-the-night evacuations and fears about death have become the norm for workers at Russian e-commerce companies targeted by Ukraine.

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By Paul SonneAnastasia Kuts and Milana Mazaeva

Reporting from Berlin

Oct. 8, 2026

It was two days before the start of school, and David Zelensky, 16, was earning some final summer cash at an e-commerce warehouse in the Russian city of Belgorod.

The oldest of nine children, David had landed the job a few weeks earlier at the online retailer Ozon, an upgrade from his former gig delivering food. He settled in for an evening shift on Aug. 30 that would put him closer to his dream of buying a motorcycle.

Then came the Ukrainian missiles.

First, the city air raid sirens wailed. Next, an explosion from what seemed to be the interception of a rocket rang out.

As workers ran across the warehouse floor toward a shelter, a missile slammed into the building. The lights went dark. Walls and metal shelves crashed down on a group of high school and college students as a fireball engulfed part of the facility.

David, who communicated with fellow workers by writing on a phone because he was deaf and unable to speak, was killed. A 21-year-old college student also died, and a 16-year-old boy was critically injured.

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