VLADIMIR Putin’s top brass who led a notorious private army of neo-Nazi football hooligans has died under mysterious circumstances.
“A black SUV without license plates, a UAZ [van], a car, and a minibus with military license plates pulled up to house No. 51, where Orlov lived,” reported Important Stories independent news outlet.
The report added: “Security forces emerged from the vehicles, after which [nearby] residents heard gunshots.
“CCTV footage shows that an ambulance arrived and removed ‘Spaniard’s’ body only six hours after security forces had arrived.”
Another independent news outlet ASTRA reported: “Men with automatic weapons and masks get out of the cars.
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“Neighbours hear several shots. Witnesses in a conversation with ASTRA claim that Orlov does not return fire.”
Rumours are still swirling over the cause of death of the warlord who had been hailed a hero for drafting Russia’s hooligans to fight for Putin in Ukraine.
Orlov led a private military company known as Espaniola which recruited some of Russia’s most notorious and hardened thugs from the terraces of leading clubs.
Previous speculation claimed Orlov died in custody after being detained over alleged arms trafficking amid feelings Putin’s authorities had become hostile to him.
Another suggested he was killed while “shooting back during the arrest”.
One pro-war blogger Vladislav Pozdnyakov wrote that criminal cases against 88th Reconnaissance and Sabotage Brigade Espaniola had been underway since spring, with searches conducted at the military unit’s locations.
Russia’s investigative news outlet Novaya Gazeta described Orlov’s death as occurring “under strange circumstances”.
Reports linked the murky episode to a broader campaign against ultra-right groups and radical pro-war figures.
Orlov’s blood-thirsty military group were included in a swathe of sanctions by the UK government in November 2024.
But in October this year, Orlov announced the battalion’s disbandment.
Its fighters would be absorbed into structures controlled by the Russian defence ministry and security agencies, it was announced.
Media outlet The Insider reported that Espanyol was linked to a web of powerful patrons.
These included Russian Railways and the Rotenberg brothers Arkady and Boris, two of Putin’s oldest and closest allies, while also seeing it as linked to the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency.
Ukrainian military analyst and blogger Yuriy Butusov alleged Espanyola had been disbanded due to looting, banditry and heavy losses.
It was also alleged that Orlov had been caught selling weapons from the front.
According to Butusov, Orlov was killed while resisting arrest — a claim echoed by some Russian ultra-nationalists but not acknowledged by authorities.
Notably, all official Russian statements refer only to Orlov having “died,” avoiding the word “killed.”
No explanation has been offered as to why investigators are still determining basic facts days after the announcement.
The likely date of his death was early in December, but even this is uncertain with claims he lay in a coma for days.
The episode fits a growing pattern of semi-autonomous nationalist warlords and outspoken hardliners initially useful to the Kremlin, later finding themselves side-lined, absorbed — or eliminated — as Moscow tightens control over the conflict.
Former Putin chef Yevgeny Prigozhin – who set up the notorious Wagner private army – was killed in a plane crash in 2023 in what was widely seen as a Kremlin assassination.
Whether Orlov’s death was the result of a botched arrest, an internal purge, or something else entirely remains unclear for now.
His funeral was held at Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral — the first warcombatant to be granted this honour.
In a statement his friends and family said: “We cannot help but note that many are interested in the cause of Spaniard’s death, and we are no less so.
“The central investigative bodies are currently determining the exact cause and location of death and those responsible.”
Orlov was a member of CSKA Moscow fan group Red Blue Warriors.
His military unit, formed in 2022, recruited radical football fansfrom multiple Russian clubs, including CSKA Moscow, Spartak, Zenit, and Lokomotiv.
It later accepted women recruits, training them as snipers.
Vladimir Putin’s top brass Orlov Stanislav killed
Stanislav ‘Spaniard’ Orlov has died under mysterious circumstances.
The unit recruited radical football fansfrom multiple Russian clubs, including CSKA Moscow, Spartak, Zenit, and Lokomotiv
Orlov announced the battalion’s disbandment in October, saying fighters would be absorbed into structures controlled by the Russian defence ministry and security agencies
Accounts claim Orlov was shot dead after Russian “security forces” arrived at his country house near Sevastopol in occupied Crimea
Others claim he died in custody after being detained over alleged arms trafficking amid feelings Putin’s authorities had become hostile to him
The likely date of his death was early in December, but this remains uncertain
His funeral was held at Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral — he is the first warcombatant to be granted this honour
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