Overview

• The Russian Investigative Committee provisionally ruled Roman Starovoït’s July 7 death a suicide as part of an ongoing corruption probe.
• His funeral on July 11 in Saint Petersburg proceeded without President Putin in attendance, highlighting his abrupt fall from favor.
• He faced allegations tied to his tenure as Kursk governor, where funds earmarked for border fortifications were reportedly misused, and was poised for imminent arrest.
• The anti-corruption campaign has swept up high-level figures such as former vice defense minister Timour Ivanov, who received a 13-year prison sentence.
• Analysts warn that selective prosecutions under wartime governance have created pervasive anxiety across Russia’s political elite.