Roman Starovoit, Russia’s former Minister of Transport, was found dead in his car just hours after being dismissed by President Vladimir Putin.
On the morning of Monday, July 7, President Putin issued a decree removing Starovoit from his position. However, the reason behind his dismissal was not immediately disclosed.
Just a few hours later, Starovoit was discovered dead in his vehicle near Moscow, having suffered a gunshot wound.
According to Russian investigators, the incident appears to be a suicide, as reported by Russia’s TASS News Agency.
Local Russian media outlets stated that a pistol was found next to his body when it was discovered.
Roman Starovoit had only been appointed as Transport Minister in May 2024.
Before that, he had served for five years as Governor of the Kursk region, located on the Russian–Ukrainian border.
Sources cited by Reuters indicated that Starovoit’s dismissal may have been related to an ongoing corruption investigation that had been targeting him in recent weeks.
