Russian transport minister allegedly dies by suicide hours after dismissal by Putin

Former Russian Transport Minister Roman Vladimirovich Starovoit was found dead from a gunshot wound in his personal car just hours after he was dismissed by President Vladimir Putin, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee and local media. Authorities said the main version being considered is suicide.

The body was discovered on Monday, the same day Starovoit was dismissed from his post as head of the Ministry of Transport. According to RIA Novosti, he returned to Odintsovo, took his personal PM pistol, went to Malevich Park, and shot himself inside his vehicle.

RIA Novosti reported that Starovoit was expected to become a defendant in a criminal case involving large-scale theft during construction of military fortifications in the Kursk region, where he previously served as governor.

Also on Monday, another official with the Ministry of Transport, Andrey Korneichuk, died at his workplace, according to CNN. Korneichuk, 42, worked for the Federal Agency for Rail Transport. Russian state media cited “acute heart failure” as the possible cause of death. There is no indication that the two deaths are connected.

Starovoit became transport minister in May 2024 after serving as governor of the Kursk region. Although he left office before Ukraine’s surprise incursion into the area, he was partially blamed for lapses in security.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, a number of Russian officials and business executives have died under circumstances officially labeled as suicides, leading to widespread speculation of foul play.