Russia’s Investigative Committee has said that former Transport Minister Roman Starovoit died by suicide just hours after being removed from office by President Vladimir Putin.
According to reports, Starovoit’s body was discovered in his private car in the Odintsovo district near Moscow. Officials said he appeared to have died from a gunshot wound and suggested suicide as the likely cause.
Starovoit, 53, was appointed Minister for Transport in May 2024. Before that, he served as governor of the Kursk region, an area that has faced repeated attacks from Ukraine during the ongoing conflict.
Russian state media speculated that his dismissal might be linked to an investigation involving alleged corruption, particularly concerning misuse of funds allocated for fortifications in border areas during his tenure in Kursk.
Read More: India Confirms Rafale Pilot Deaths as Military Honours Unveil Hidden Losses
The Investigative Committee confirmed in a statement that Starovoit’s body was found with a bullet wound inside his car and added that the incident is being treated as a suicide. However, the exact time of death was not confirmed.
Earlier that day, the Kremlin issued a decree signed by President Putin announcing Starovoit’s dismissal from the transport ministry. The decision came amid disruptions at Russian airports following Ukrainian drone strikes.
While some media outlets linked his removal to potential criminal proceedings, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the dismissal was not due to a “loss of trust.”