Deaf teenager reportedly killed in Ukrainian missile strike on Ozon warehouse in Belgorod

A Ukrainian missile strike on Belgorod, Russia, on August 30 hit warehouse and sorting facilities leased by the e-commerce company Ozon, killing a 16-year-old deaf boy named David Z., his relatives told the Russian Telegram channel Ostorozhno Novosti.

According to the family, David had gone in for a shift at the Belgorod Ozon warehouse that day. He normally worked in delivery but had switched to warehouse duty, taking on the job during his summer break to earn extra money. He was in ninth grade at a special school for deaf students. His father is also deaf, and his mother is hard of hearing. David was the oldest of nine children in the family.

Relatives said they still don't know the details of what happened. They went to identify his body the day after the strike, but when they returned to the morgue the next morning, staff would not let them see him and instead told them to arrange matters directly with a funeral home. David's parents have already spent 90,000 rubles on funeral costs, and relatives have started a fundraiser to help cover expenses. The relatives said regional authorities had not yet reached out to the family. Two of David's classmates, who were also working at the warehouse that day, were hospitalized.

Initial reports about the August 30 strike on Belgorod described fires at a power plant and at warehouses leased by Ozon. The company's press service later confirmed that a sorting center and delivery hub had been struck. In total, three people were killed and 16 injured in the attack on the city.