Larisa Kozova11:37, 22.12.25

“The Spaniard” is related to the events that led to the occupation of Crimea in 2014.

In temporarily occupied Crimea, the former leader of the ” Espanyola ” brigade, which is fighting against Ukraine, was shot dead – the occupier was suspected of arms trafficking and participation in the armed opposition.

As ASTRA writes , on December 22, a farewell ceremony will be held in Moscow for the former leader of the far-right “Espanyola” brigade, Stanislav Orlov (“The Spaniard”). He is being compared to Prigozhin, Motorola, and other famous commanders who participated in the war with Ukraine.

It is noted that the “Spaniard” was 44 years old. He was shot dead on December 4 at a dacha in occupied Sevastopol (Crimea). According to ASTRA, this is one of the most high-profile murders in the Z-environment.

“Since December 10th, there have been only unconfirmed rumors about Orlov’s disappearance in the Z-community, and the cause of death has not yet been named even within Espanyol itself,” the publication states.

Journalists established that the “Spaniard” was killed in the Flotskyi SNT, and he lived in Sevastopol for the last weeks before his death.

“SNT “Flotsky” is a quiet town in the western part of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula. The nearest Black Sea coast is about 3-5 kilometers away. The garden society rarely makes it into the news, but on December 4, 2025, the residents of “Flotsky” were agitated. Among themselves, they discussed the news that shocked many – the shooting in house number 51,” the publication writes.

According to video surveillance footage obtained by ASTRA, on December 4 at 12:17, 4 cars drove up to house No. 51 in SNT. Men with machine guns and masks on their faces got out of them. Neighbors heard several shots, and according to eyewitnesses, Orlov did not return fire. Only six hours later, at 6:36 p.m., an ambulance arrived at the “Spanish” house. A few minutes later, the medics took the body away and left. The security forces remained in the house to conduct a search.

According to ASTRA sources, the reason for the “attempted detention” was suspicion of arms trafficking and participation in the OZG.

The searches took place in the garage cooperative, in Orlov’s house, as well as in the SNT “Flotsky”, in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe Mikryukivsky water intake, where, apparently, there was another small base of “Espanyola”. The security forces detained the head of the farm, Roman Dudnikov, who looked after the birds and animals and carried out the economic orders of “The Spaniard”.

Orlov is one of the prominent Russian ultras volunteers who have been fighting in eastern Ukraine since 2014 on the side of the Russian Federation. He participated in the Second Chechen War.

In 2014, he went to Crimea, where, together with other football fans, he contributed to the annexation of the Ukrainian Crimea. Then Orlov went to Donbas, where he headed the Gorlovka reconnaissance unit “Skull and Bones” – a unit of the “Vostok” battalion. Orlov received the call sign “Spaniard” because he knew foreign languages ​​well.

In the spring of 2022, he created a formation of former combatants, far-right activists, and football fans, which was initially part of the Vostok battalion (DPR). According to media reports, it later became a separate private military group called Española (or the 88th Española reconnaissance and sabotage brigade).

It is noted that a well-known member of the unit, former commander of the “Española” Marine Detachment with the call sign “Altai” Ruslan Kazantsev, was previously detained on suspicion of arms trafficking and participation in the OZG. He founded a marine group, which was called the first Russian “marine PMC”. This unit was engaged in the defense of the occupied Crimea – the protection of gas production platforms.

As journalists note, in November 2024, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions against Espanyol. In April 2025, Espanyol called Ukrainian civilians a “legitimate target.”

(c)UNIAN 2025