Investigators say the gunman traveled from Fort Lauderdale to Sarasota before taking his own life.
SARASOTA, Fla. — A teenage boy is grieving the death of his mother, Olga Greinert, after investigators say a gunman killed four people at a Sarasota County home in a rampage tied to earlier killings in Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 10, then took his own life.
The shootings, which left seven people dead including the suspected gunman, have shaken families across Florida and left detectives trying to explain why it happened. Authorities say the suspect, Russell Kot, had recently separated from a former partner and later drove more than 200 miles to a home where members of her family and a household worker were killed. Friends and relatives have held each other close in the days since, while law enforcement has released new details about the timeline, weapons and emergency calls.
Greinert’s teenage son, Eldar, said the news still does not feel real. “You can’t really process it. It’s just grief and confusion,” he said in a recent interview. “All you can think about is her.” Eldar said he wants people to know who his mother was beyond the headlines, describing her as someone who was always ready to help. “I think she had a good impact on people, always wanted to help,” he said.
Investigators say Greinert, 49, was one of four people killed at a home in the Amberlea area near Sarasota. The other victims there were Yaroslav “Stan” Blyudoy, 39; Florita Stolyar, 66; and Anatoly Ioffe, 61, who was known to friends as Tony. Authorities say the same suspect is believed to have killed two people earlier that day in Fort Lauderdale: Larisa Blyudaya, 46, and her son, Ben Azizov, 18. Kot also died from what authorities described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Sarasota County detectives said Kot had moved from Illinois to Fort Lauderdale in the fall of 2025 and had been living with Blyudaya until the end of 2025, when the two separated. Detectives said a review of Kot’s phone records did not show an apparent triggering event before the shootings involving Blyudaya or her family. Records did show Kot had previously stayed at the Sarasota home or cared for the family’s animals in the months leading up to Feb. 10, and investigators said he had met Greinert, identified as the family’s housekeeper, at least once at the residence.
The first public signs of the violence that day came through frantic calls for help. In Fort Lauderdale, police were asked to conduct a well-being check at a home in the Victoria Park area after relatives worried something was wrong. Later, a neighbor in Sarasota called 911 after stepping outside and seeing Ioffe on the ground near the open home. “I think my neighbor’s been shot,” the caller said, adding there was blood and the front door was open. Deputies say the call came in shortly before 12:30 p.m. as the scene outside the home came into view.
Investigators say Kot entered the Sarasota residence and killed Greinert and Blyudoy, then remained at the home until Stolyar and Ioffe arrived. When they returned, detectives say both were shot and killed. Authorities said Kot sent what they described as a suicidal text message to members of his own family after the first two Sarasota killings, then stayed at the home until the couple came back. Crime scene analysts recovered more than 20 shell casings inside the residence, and investigators said each victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
Detectives said a search warrant for Kot’s vehicle turned up two handguns, ammunition, five knives, rope, tape and an ax. Those items were in addition to two handguns investigators said Kot carried when he entered the Sarasota home. The details have deepened questions from neighbors about how the suspect moved between cities and what he planned to do next. Investigators have not publicly described how long Kot remained at the Sarasota residence before the final shots were fired.
As detectives worked to piece together the timeline, friends described the victims as devoted family members who were anchored in their communities. Ioffe, friends said, was known as someone who put family first and built his life around caring for relatives and building a medical practice. People who knew Greinert described her as warm and steady, a mother who showed up for others. “Great mother, great wife; she really loved our children,” said Mykola Hreynert, who was identified as Greinert’s ex-husband.
In Sarasota, some relatives and friends said their grief has been mixed with disbelief that a person who was not part of the family’s romantic history was among the dead. Hreynert said Greinert was “a completely random victim,” adding that she was not supposed to be at the home when the gunman arrived. Another friend, Anna Prasikova, said she remembered Greinert as bright and cheerful, and said the loss of multiple people connected to the same household has been difficult to accept. “I can’t believe it,” she said. “It’s out of my mind.”
Investigators have said they are still working to establish a motive. With the suspected gunman dead, authorities have focused on the sequence of events, communication records and interviews with relatives and witnesses. Detectives have asked anyone with information to contact the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office as the investigation continues. In the meantime, families have begun organizing support for survivors, including children left behind, and gathering funds for funerals and related expenses.
For Eldar, the loss is measured in ordinary moments that will not return. He said he keeps thinking about what it means to go through life without seeing his mother again. Friends said what would have been Greinert’s 50th birthday next weekend has been reshaped into a gathering to remember her life, even as investigators keep working through evidence from two cities and multiple scenes.
Author note: Last updated February 15, 2026.