Ben Azizov, 18, was a male Fort Lauderdale resident who was shot to death on February 10, 2026, inside a home in the city's Victoria Park neighborhood. Investigators said the killings began that morning at the residence in the 500 block of Northeast 15th Avenue, where Azizov lived with his mother, Larisa Blyudaya. Fort Lauderdale police did not discover the scene until later in the day, when officers were sent to conduct a well-being check. Inside, they found Azizov and Blyudaya dead.
Authorities determined that both had been murdered and identified Russell Kot, who had been staying at or associated with the residence, as the person responsible.
According to investigators, Kot killed Azizov and Blyudaya during the morning hours and then left Fort Lauderdale, beginning a drive of more than 200 miles across Florida toward Sarasota County. The investigation quickly expanded beyond a double homicide because Kot's vehicle was tracked heading north and was later connected to another deadly scene in the gated Amberlea neighborhood. Sarasota County investigators said Kot had previously stayed at the Fallcrest Circle residence there or cared for the family's animals, meaning he was familiar with the property and the people connected to it. Authorities initially described Kot as having previously been in a romantic relationship with Blyudaya, although an attorney representing surviving family members later disputed that characterization and said Kot had merely been allowed to stay temporarily as a guest while searching for another place to live.
After reaching the Sarasota residence, investigators said Kot shot and killed family housekeeper Olga Greinert and Yaroslav “Stan” Blyudoy, Blyudaya's brother. Kot remained at the house afterward and sent what investigators described as a suicidal text message to members of his own family. He waited until Florita Stolyar, Blyudaya's mother, and Anatoly “Tony” Ioffe returned to the residence and then shot them as well. A neighbor later called 911 after discovering Ioffe outside the home with severe gunshot wounds, and people nearby attempted to render aid. Deputies entering the residence encountered a scene containing the other victims and Kot. Investigators concluded that Kot killed himself after the shootings. Crime-scene personnel recovered more than 20 shell casings inside the Sarasota residence, and authorities reported that the victims there had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
The evidence recovered from Kot's vehicle suggested that he had traveled heavily armed. Sarasota County detectives executing a search warrant found two handguns, ammunition, five knives, rope, tape and an axe in the vehicle. Investigators said those weapons were in addition to two handguns Kot carried into the Sarasota residence. Detectives examined his cellphone records but reported finding no apparent triggering event immediately preceding the murders involving Blyudaya or her relatives. They also found indications that Kot had been familiar with the Sarasota household for some time and had previously met Greinert. Despite reconstructing the sequence of events, investigators had not established a definitive motive for why Kot killed Azizov, Blyudaya and the four people in Sarasota.
There was no arrest, prosecution or trial of Kot in connection with Azizov's death because Kot was found dead at the Sarasota crime scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Law-enforcement agencies identified him as the suspect responsible for the Fort Lauderdale double homicide and the four additional killings in Sarasota. Authorities said the people involved in the connected incidents had been accounted for and that there was no continuing threat to the public. The investigation therefore centered on establishing Kot's motive and reconstructing his movements rather than locating another suspected gunman, and publicly available reports have not identified an additional suspect or announced an arrest connected to Azizov's killing.
