In Russia, former Transport Minister Roman Starovoit was found dead in his car. According to the pro-government Russian press, he committed suicide. A few hours earlier, Starovoit was fired by President Vladimir Putin.
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, the main federal investigative authority in the country, confirmed reports in the Russian press that Starovoit is dead and suicide is primarily suspected.
“The body of Roman Vladimirovich Starovoit was found today with a gunshot wound in his personal car,” the Investigative Committee said in a statement. The car and body were reportedly found near Moscow. According to some Russian media, a weapon belonging to Starovoit was found next to his body.
Corruption in Kursk
Starovoit (53) had been dismissed as Minister of Transport just hours earlier, a position he had held since May last year. Before that, he had been governor of Kursk Province, which borders Ukraine, for six years. Ukraine and the West imposed sanctions on him for his role in the war against Ukraine.
No reason was given for his resignation. It comes after a chaotic weekend in the transport sector, which saw nearly 500 flights at Russian airports cancelled due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks.
However, Starovoit is also under investigation for possible corruption during his time as governor of Kursk. A former deputy to the governor, Alexei Smirnov, allegedly provided material against Starovoit to the courts.
Smirnov, who had succeeded Starovoit as governor, is himself suspected of embezzling 1 billion rubles (almost 11 million euros) during the construction of defensive infrastructure in the Kursk province. A number of other former employees of Starovoit are also suspected in that case.
The British news agency Reuters learned that the minister’s position had been under pressure for months, precisely because of that investigation.
Suspicious deaths
Whether Starovoit actually took his own life is not certain. In recent years, several former associates or allies of President Putin have died in suspicious circumstances .
Some fell from windows, others drowned while fishing, and still others reportedly shot themselves. In almost every case, all of these men had recently fallen out of favor with the president in one way or another.
Rumors also circulate about Starovojt’s death. Some Russian media claim that the minister’s body was actually found last Saturday, two days before his resignation was announced.
Asked about this, Putin’s spokesman stressed that the decree announcing Starovoit’s resignation did not mention “any loss of confidence” in him.
