Russian Minister Found Dead Within Hours of Dismissal

Russia’s Investigative Committee has said former Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit has been found dead. It is initially believed he had been shot in the head. He was dismissed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. No reason was given for Starovoit’s dismissal and Deputy Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin was later announced as his replacement.
The Investigative Committee said it was investigating the circumstances of the incident. Starovoit was appointed Transport Minister in May 2024.
Previously, he served as governor of Russia’s Kursk region for nearly six years (2018–2024). In August 2024, Ukrainian troops launched an unprecedented offensive and captured parts of the region.
Although Moscow recently managed to push back Ukrainian forces from there, in late June Kiev claimed that it still controls a small area inside Russia.
Starovoit’s successor, Alexei Smirnov, was only in office for a short time. He was arrested in April and later charged with embezzling funds to build a defense bunker on the Ukrainian border.
It is not clear exactly when Starovoit died. Andrei Kartapolov, head of the Russian State Duma’s defense committee, told RTVI that he died “a few days ago.”
Before the news of Starovoit’s death was announced on Monday (July 7) local time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov avoided asking reporters whether Putin had lost trust in Starovoit over the Kursk incident. “You talk about losing trust when you lose trust,” Peskov replied.