FORMER RUSSIAN TRANSPORT MINISTER ROMAN STAROVOIT FOUND DEAD HOURS AFTER PUTIN DISMISSAL

Former Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit was found dead in his car near Moscow with a gunshot wound, hours after being dismissed by President Vladimir Putin. According to Russia’s Investigative Committee, Starovoit’s body was discovered in Odintsovo, a suburb of Moscow, with preliminary findings suggesting suicide.

Starovoit was dismissed from his post earlier on Monday, with Putin appointing his deputy, Andrey Nikitin, as acting minister. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the reason for Starovoit’s dismissal was not due to a “lack of trust,” but refused to provide further explanation. “A loss of trust is mentioned if there is a loss of trust. There is no such wording in the decree,” Peskov said.

The former minister had been implicated in an investigation into the embezzlement of state funds allocated for building fortifications in the Kursk region, where he previously served as governor. Starovoit’s predecessor in the Kursk governor role, Alexei Smirnov, was arrested in April for allegedly embezzling funds meant for border defenses.

Nikitin, the newly appointed acting transport minister, discussed plans to modernize Russia’s transport systems with Putin, including digitization efforts to tackle cargo bottlenecks and improve the flow of goods across borders.

The dismissal and subsequent death of Starovoit come amid a challenging period for Russia’s transport sector, which has been impacted by the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. The Russian Federal Agency for Air Transport reported that 485 flights were canceled, 88 diverted, and 1,900 delayed over the weekend due to “external interference,” while the Russian Defense Ministry claimed over 400 Ukrainian long-range strikes were intercepted during the same period.