Former Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit dies by suicide; hours after being dismissed

New Delhi (India) July 7: Roman Starovoit, the former minister of transport for Russia has committed suicide on Monday, hours after being fired by President Vladimir Putin. According to sources, Starovoyt shot himself in a Moscow suburb after the announcement of his dismissal.

According to the nation's Investigative Committee, his body was discovered in his car.

Reports claim that Starovoit used the gun that the ministry of internal affairs' leadership had given him in 2023.

There are different stories regarding when Starovoit died. Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement that it was trying to determine the specific facts.

Russia's investigative committee said, “Today, the body of the former Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, Roman Starovoit, was found with a gunshot wound in his personal car," in a statement.

After only a year on the job, Starovoit was fired without explanation in Putin's directive. He served as the governor of the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, for nearly five years before being named minister of transportation in May 2024.

The Kremlin released images of Andrei Nikitin, a former governor of the Novgorod region, shaking hands with Putin in the Kremlin and said that he had been named acting minister of transportation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to a question concerning Starovoit's sudden departure and Nikitin's quick hiring. He said, "At present, in the president's opinion, Andrei Nikitin's professional qualities and experience will best contribute to ensuring that this agency, which the president described as extremely important, fulfils its tasks and functions.”

A number of well-publicized interruptions to Russia's maritime and aviation industries prompted Starovoit's suspension.

Due to security concerns posed by Ukrainian drone attacks, about 300 aircraft were suspended at major Russian airports on July 5–6, only days before he left.

An explosion aboard a tanker at the Ust-Luga port in Leningrad Oblast added to the chaos. On July 6, an ammonia leak from the blast prompted an emergency reaction.

However, a source in the transportation sector said that Starovoit's job had been under scrutiny for months due to the corruption scandals in Kursk, not transportation-related issues in particular.

Aadrika Tayal