By Kurskadm - Wikipedia
Russia’s Investigative Committee has reported that former transport minister Roman Starovoit was found dead, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, shortly after being dismissed from his post by President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
Starovoit’s sudden dismissal was not accompanied by any official explanation. Within hours, Deputy Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin was named as his replacement. The Investigative Committee has launched an inquiry to determine the exact circumstances surrounding Starovoit’s death.
Appointed minister of transport in May 2024, Starovoit had previously served as governor of the Kursk region for nearly six years. His tenure there ended in May 2024, just before he took on the national transport portfolio.
The Kursk region became a focal point of military tension in August 2024, when Ukrainian forces launched a surprise offensive and partially seized the territory. Russian troops managed to reclaim much of the region only recently, although Kyiv asserted in late June that it continued to hold a small section of land inside Russian territory.
Starovoit’s brief successor as governor, Aleksey Smirnov, did not remain in office long. He was arrested in April and subsequently charged with embezzling funds earmarked for the construction of border fortifications along the frontier with Ukraine. According to Russian newspaper Kommersant, Starovoit himself was allegedly about to be implicated in the same corruption case and might have been facing criminal charges soon.
The exact time of Starovoit’s death remains unclear. Andrei Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Defense Committee, told the Russian outlet RTVI that the death had occurred “quite a while ago,” although it was only announced after his dismissal on Monday.
Earlier the same day, before news of Starovoit’s death had become public, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was questioned by reporters about whether the dismissal was linked to a loss of confidence by President Putin due to the events in Kursk. Peskov responded, “A loss of trust is mentioned if there is a loss of trust. Such wording was not used [in the Kremlin decree].”
The incident has sparked widespread speculation in political and media circles, raising questions about internal pressures, the fallout from the war in Ukraine, and the growing number of corruption investigations involving regional officials. The investigation into Starovoit’s death is ongoing.
