Russia’s Investigative Committee has reported the death of former Transport Minister Roman Starovoit, who was found with what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The news comes just hours after President Vladimir Putin dismissed Starovoit from his post on Monday. No official reason was given for the sudden removal, and Deputy Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin was quickly named as his successor.
Investigators say they are working to determine the exact circumstances surrounding Starovoit’s death. The timing remains unclear, with Andrei Kartapolov, chair of the State Duma Defense Committee, telling RTVI that the death occurred “quite a while ago.”
Starovoit had only recently taken on the role of transport minister in May 2024. Prior to that, he served nearly six years as governor of the Kursk region, which in August 2024 saw parts of its territory seized in a surprise Ukrainian offensive.
Although Russian forces eventually retook most of the region, Ukrainian officials claimed in late June to still be holding a small area within Russian borders.
Starovoit’s successor as governor, Aleksey Smirnov, was arrested in April and later charged with embezzling funds intended for building border fortifications. According to Russian newspaper Kommersant, Starovoit was expected to be named a defendant in the same investigation.
Earlier on Monday, before the news of Starovoit’s death became public, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was asked whether the dismissal indicated a loss of trust by President Putin, particularly in light of 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].”
Source: Wesleyannews.com
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