Russia’s transport minister allegedly shot himself just hours after President Vladimir Putin dismissed him from his post.
Roman Starovoit was abruptly fired on Monday after just a year in his key position, The New York Post reported. He was then found dead inside his car in Odintsovo, a neighbourhood just west of Moscow where Russia’s elite reside.
Mr Starovoit was found with a gun that was an official gift from the Kremlin, officials said.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on Mr Starovoit’s dismissal, with no reason for his firing listed on the Kremlin’s website.
Officials also did not give a reason for his reported suicide.
Mr Starovoit was tapped as Russia’s new transport minister in May 2024 after serving as the governor of the Kursk region, an area at the heart of an embezzlement case that allegedly aided Ukraine’s surprise counter-invasion last year.
The Kremlin has been investigating allegations that officials in Kursk embezzled state funds meant for fortifying the region around the time Ukraine was planning its major assault on Russian soil.
The Kursk invasion was the first time in Russia’s history that Moscow lost land to an invader since World War II, leaving Mr Putin humiliated and forcing the Russian army to scramble for months to reclaim the land.
Mr Starovoit’s successor in Kursk, Alexi Smirnov, was allegedly tied to the incident and arrested on embezzlement charges in April, with Russian media claiming that charges were pending for the transport minister.
While the Kremlin never made statements on whether Mr Starovoit was under investigation, a transport industry source told Reuters that the minister’s position had come into question over the Kursk scandal.
Mr Starovoit’s dismissal also comes after a weekend of travel chaos plagued Russian airports, with more than 160 flights cancelled and another 240 delayed due to Ukraine’s drone attacks.
Russian commentators speaking about Mr Starovoit’s sacking, however, said that the disruptions have become common due to the frequency of Ukraine’s attacks, claiming the weekend chaos likely played no role in his dismissal.
Following Mr Starovoit’s firing – but before his death was reported – his deputy transport minister, Andrei Nikitin, was tapped as his replacement.
“At present, in the President’s opinion, Andrei Nikitin’s professional qualities and experience will best contribute to ensuring that this agency, which the President described as extremely important, fulfils its tasks and functions,” Mr Peskov said in a press conference that took place before Mr Starovoit’s death became public.
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