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Russia’s Ex-Transport Minister Found Dead After Sudden Dismissal

Investigators are treating his death as suicide, continuing to examine the abrupt decree that removed him without explanation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is pictured meeting Roman Starovoit on January 30, 2025 in the Kremlin.
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Russian Minister of Transport Roman Starovoit attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Moscow, Russia January 30, 2025.  Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.
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Overview

  • President Vladimir Putin’s decree on July 7 relieved Roman Starovoit, 53, of his transport minister role and appointed Deputy Andrei Nikitin as acting minister.
  • Starovoit’s body was discovered hours later in his car in the Odintsovo district with a gunshot wound, and the Investigative Committee has opened a case on what it regards as an apparent suicide.
  • The Kremlin offered no reason for his dismissal, and spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied it reflected a loss of trust.
  • Russia’s transport sector has faced recent disruptions from Ukrainian drone incursions and an ammonia leak at Ust-Luga port that grounded hundreds of flights.
  • The events unfold against an anti-corruption campaign in the Kursk region, where Starovoit’s former subordinates have been charged with embezzlement.