Just hours after being sacked from his post by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, transport minister Roman Starovoit (Роман Владимирович Старовойт) has been found dead in his Tesla in Odintsovo near Moscow, with the pro-government newspaper Izvestia claiming the fatal gunshot wound was self-inflicted.
While investigative teams from Russia's Main Investigative Directorate are working to determine the exact circumstances, some media outlets speculate that the former minister shot himself using an honorary pistol found alongside his body.
However, there have been conflicting reports about the timing of his death, with Andrei Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Defense Committee, stating only that it occurred "quite some time ago," without elaborating further.
Sanctioned by Ukraine and Western countries for his role in the war against Ukraine, Starovoit (pictured above), had served as governor of Russia's Kursk Oblast before being appointed transport minister in May 2024.
The Kremlin provided no official reason for Starovoit’s sacking after barely a year in the job.
However, political analysts and Russian state media believe his sacking may be connected with an investigation into corruption in the Kursk region that occurred where he was governor for over five years.
In April this year, Starovoit's successor as acting governor, Alexei Smirnov was arrested on suspicion of embezzling 1 billion roubles (over $12 million) intended for border defences, leaving Kursk more vulnerable to Ukrainian attack.
An investigation into the large-scale theft of state funds in Kursk Oblast is currently underway, and several of Starovoit's former deputies are now also under suspicion.
Various Russian media outlets reported on Monday that Smirnov had told state investigators Starovoit had also been in on the fraud.
Three months after Starovoit left his role as governor to become transport minister last year, Ukrainian forces launched a counteroffensive in Kursk- marking the biggest foreign incursion into Russian territory since World War Two.
Starovoit's firing coincides with significant challenges for Russia's transport sector as the Ukraine war drags on for a fourth year.
Long-range Ukrainian drones also frequently force Russian airports to suspend their activities for safety reasons, sometimes causing major disruption.
Another weekend of travel chaos saw nearly 500 flights grounded at major Russian airports on 5-6 July due to security threats from Ukrainian drone attacks.
Added to the crisis engulfing Russia's transportation sector, the following day, an explosion aboard the Eco Wizard tanker at the Ust-Luga port in Leningrad Oblast triggered an ammonia leak.
However, when questioned by the media, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied that the Kremlin had lost trust in its former transport minister.
