The former Russian Minister of Transport reportedly took his own life hours after being dismissed, according to Russian media. Roman Starovoyt was dismissed by President Vladimir Putin on Monday, after serving as transport minister for over a year.
Russian state media report that an investigative committee has determined that Starovoyt shot himself. This allegedly happened a few hours after his dismissal as minister. His body was found in a car in Odintsovo, a suburb southwest of Moscow.
Starovoyt had been Minister of Transport in Russia since May 2024. Before that, he was the governor of Kursk, a Russian region bordering Ukraine. Ukrainian forces occupied part of that border region for a long time after a surprise attack last year, but have since been driven out.
According to news agency Reuters, Starovoyt was promoted to the Russian Ministry of Transport. However, he allegedly fell out of favor with Putin due to alleged corruption scandals in Kursk. Putin reportedly held Starovoyt responsible for the poor defense of Kursk. He allegedly embezzled money intended for the defense of the border.
Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, Putin has replaced top officials more frequently. For example, Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu had to leave surprisingly last year. He then received another top position.