Russia’s former transport minister, Roman Starovoyt, was found dead on Monday, just hours after President Vladimir Putin dismissed him from office.
Authorities discovered Starovoyt, 53, in his private car with a gunshot wound in the Odintsovo district of Moscow. “Today, the body of former Transport Minister Roman Starovoyt was found in his private car with a gunshot wound in the Odintsovo district,” Russia’s Investigative Committee said. “The main version (considered) is suicide.”
Starovoyt served as transport minister for a year and was previously governor of the border Kursk region, where Ukraine incursions had occurred. His removal followed widespread travel disruptions linked to Ukrainian drone strikes. State media speculated his dismissal might be tied to a corruption case involving embezzled border defence funds.
Alexei Smirnov, his successor in Kursk, was arrested in April for allegedly stealing over $12 million and was reported to have testified against Starovoyt.
The Kremlin has yet to comment on Starovoyt’s death. Hours after his dismissal, Putin named Andrei Nikitin as acting transport minister.