Russian Transport Minister Dies by Suicide After Dismissal by Putin

Report by “Safarti Tarjuman” International News Desk

Moscow — Former Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit died by suicide on Monday, just hours after President Vladimir Putin dismissed him from his ministerial post, Russian authorities confirmed.

According to the Investigative Committee of Russia, Starovoit was found dead inside a vehicle in Odintsovo, a suburb of Moscow, with a gunshot wound. Authorities said the main theory under investigation is suicide, though a full inquiry is underway.

Starovoit’s dismissal was announced on the official Kremlin website earlier in the day. Deputy Minister Andrey Nikitin was named acting transport minister. When asked for the reason behind the firing, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied it was due to a “lack of trust,” but offered no alternative explanation.

Russian media outlets including **Vesti**, **RBC**, and **Kommersant** reported that Starovoit was under investigation for alleged **embezzlement of state funds**, particularly those allocated for building **defensive fortifications in the Kursk region**, where he previously served as governor. Sources claim he faced **imminent arrest** in connection with the case.

Reports from Kommersant indicated that Starovoit was facing imminent arrest in connection with the case. His predecessor in Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, was detained in April under the same investigation.

In a separate but coincidental incident, another official from the Transport Ministry, Andrey Korneichuk, age 42, died on the same day. He was employed by the Federal Agency for Rail Transport and reportedly died at his workplace, possibly from acute heart failure. Authorities have found no direct connection between the two deaths.

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