Russell Kot and the 2026 Fort Lauderdale–Sarasota Mass Killing
Overview
Russell Kot, a 51-year-old man who had recently moved from Illinois to Florida, was identified by law-enforcement authorities as the gunman responsible for killing six people in two connected attacks on February 10, 2026. The shootings occurred more than 200 miles apart, beginning at a residence in Fort Lauderdale and continuing later that day at a family home in Sarasota County. Kot was found dead at the second crime scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, bringing the total number of fatalities to seven.
The victims were members of one extended family and a woman who worked for the family. Investigators determined that Kot had previously been romantically involved with Larisa Blyudaya, one of the Fort Lauderdale victims. Kot and Blyudaya had reportedly lived together after he relocated to Fort Lauderdale in the fall of 2025, but their relationship ended near the close of that year. Authorities continued to investigate whether the breakup contributed to the violence, although detectives said they found no single event in Kot’s recent phone activity that clearly explained why he launched the attacks.
The Fort Lauderdale Double Homicide
The first killings occurred on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, inside a home in the Victoria Park neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale. Police later went to the residence in the 500 block of Northeast 15th Avenue to conduct a well-being check. Inside, officers found 46-year-old Larisa Blyudaya and her 18-year-old son, Ben Azizov, dead from gunshot wounds.
Authorities said Kot had been in a previous romantic relationship with Blyudaya and had lived with her before their separation. Investigators believe Kot entered the residence and killed Blyudaya and her son before leaving Fort Lauderdale in his vehicle. The precise time of the killings was not immediately announced, but surveillance evidence later placed Kot and his vehicle traveling toward Florida’s Gulf Coast before the Sarasota County attack.
The deaths of Blyudaya and Azizov were not initially known to Sarasota County deputies when they responded to the second crime scene. The connection became clear after Fort Lauderdale detectives contacted Sarasota investigators and reported that Kot’s vehicle and the victims appeared to be linked to the multiple deaths in both cities.
The Drive Across Florida
After killing Blyudaya and Azizov, Kot traveled more than 200 miles across Florida to the Amberlea neighborhood in Sarasota County. The Sarasota residence, located on Fallcrest Circle, belonged to members of Blyudaya’s family. Investigators said Kot was familiar with the property and had either stayed there or cared for the family’s animals during the months before the shootings.
Surveillance footage showed Kot’s vehicle entering the gated neighborhood at approximately 11:00 a.m. Shortly afterward, a nearby doorbell camera recorded the sound of gunfire. Authorities determined that Kot entered the residence carrying two handguns and encountered Yaroslav “Stan” Blyudoy, Blyudaya’s 39-year-old brother, and Olga Greinert, the family’s 49-year-old housekeeper.
Kot shot Blyudoy and Greinert multiple times inside the home. Crime-scene analysts later recovered more than 20 spent shell casings from the residence. Detectives said each of the Sarasota victims suffered multiple gunshot wounds, demonstrating the sustained and deliberate nature of the attack.
The Arrival of Florita Stolyar and Anatoly Ioffe
After killing Blyudoy and Greinert, Kot remained at the Fallcrest Circle property. During this period, he sent a message to members of his own family indicating that he was suicidal. Investigators said the message was sent before the final two victims arrived at the house.
Florita Stolyar, 66, and her husband, Anatoly Ioffe, 61, returned to the residence approximately 37 minutes after Kot’s vehicle had been seen entering the neighborhood. Authorities said Kot waited at the property and shot both of them when they arrived. One of the victims was found outside or near the front of the home, where neighbors attempted to perform CPR before emergency personnel arrived. The lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful.
Deputies responding to reports of gunfire discovered five dead people at the Sarasota property: Stolyar, Ioffe, Blyudoy, Greinert and Kot. Investigators concluded that Kot had killed the four victims and then turned a gun on himself.
Victims
- Larisa Blyudaya, 46 — Killed on February 10, 2026, inside her residence in the Victoria Park neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She had previously been in a romantic relationship with Russell Kot.
- Ben Azizov, 18 — Killed on February 10, 2026, inside the Fort Lauderdale residence. He was Blyudaya’s son.
- Yaroslav “Stan” Blyudoy, 39 — Killed on February 10, 2026, inside the Fallcrest Circle residence in the Amberlea neighborhood of Sarasota County, Florida. He was Blyudaya’s brother and Florita Stolyar’s son.
- Olga Greinert, 49 — Killed on February 10, 2026, inside the Sarasota County residence. She worked as the family’s housekeeper and had previously met Kot at the property.
- Florita Stolyar, 66 — Killed on February 10, 2026, after returning to her home on Fallcrest Circle in Sarasota County. She was Blyudaya’s mother.
- Anatoly Ioffe, 61 — Killed on February 10, 2026, when he returned to the Sarasota County residence with Stolyar. He was Stolyar’s husband.
Weapons and Evidence
A search of Kot’s vehicle revealed a substantial collection of weapons and other materials. Deputies found two handguns, ammunition, five knives, rope, tape and an axe inside the vehicle. Those weapons were separate from the two handguns Kot carried into the Sarasota residence.
Investigators did not immediately determine how Kot obtained the firearms or whether every weapon found in the vehicle had been intended for use. The rope, tape, knives and axe were not reported to have been used against the victims, but their presence raised concerns that Kot may have prepared for an even broader or more prolonged attack.
Cellphone records, neighborhood surveillance cameras, doorbell recordings and vehicle-tracking evidence helped investigators reconstruct Kot’s movements. His vehicle was recorded near Sarasota after the Fort Lauderdale killings and before the four Sarasota County victims were shot. The physical evidence, family connections and timing allowed authorities in the two jurisdictions to link the crime scenes rapidly.
Background and Possible Motive
Kot had spent much of his life in Illinois before relocating to Fort Lauderdale in the fall of 2025. He lived with Blyudaya until their relationship ended near the end of the year. There was no publicly documented history of serious violence or previous mental-health crises involving him, according to authorities investigating the shootings.
Despite the personal connection between Kot and the victims, detectives said a definitive motive remained uncertain. A review of his cellular telephone records did not reveal an argument, threat or other immediate triggering incident involving Blyudaya or her relatives before the killings. The timing of the attack after the end of the relationship led investigators and news organizations to examine the separation as a possible factor, but authorities did not publicly identify it as the confirmed motive.
Kot’s familiarity with the Sarasota residence appeared to give him knowledge of the home and the people who regularly visited it. He knew members of the family and had previously been trusted to stay at the property or care for animals there. That familiarity may have allowed him to enter without immediately creating suspicion and to remain inside while waiting for Stolyar and Ioffe to return.
Death of Russell Kot
Russell Kot died at the Sarasota County residence on February 10, 2026. Investigators determined that his fatal wound was self-inflicted. Because he died at the scene, he was never arrested, formally prosecuted or placed on trial for the six killings.
His death left investigators responsible for reconstructing his intentions through electronic records, physical evidence, surveillance recordings and interviews with surviving relatives. It also prevented the victims’ families from receiving answers through criminal court proceedings. Authorities continued working to establish the complete sequence of events and determine whether Kot had communicated threats or plans to anyone before the attacks.
Aftermath
The killings devastated a family across two Florida communities. Within the course of a single day, Blyudaya, her teenage son, her brother, her mother, her stepfather and a trusted family employee were all killed. The attacks also illustrated the difficulty police face when violence moves quickly between jurisdictions separated by hundreds of miles.
Fort Lauderdale police investigated the deaths of Blyudaya and Azizov, while the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office handled the deaths at the Fallcrest Circle residence. The agencies coordinated evidence after recognizing that the same suspect and family were connected to both locations.
The February 10, 2026, shootings became one of Florida’s most disturbing mass killings of the year. Russell Kot was identified as the sole gunman, and authorities said there was no continuing threat to the public after his death. The investigation remained focused on understanding why he targeted six people associated with his former partner and whether the killings had been planned in advance.
