Suicide of Roman Starovoit, former Russian Transport Minister dismissed by Putin

Starovoit’s body was found in his car near Moscow a few hours after the presidential decree was published. He was under investigation for corruption linked to the failure to build fortifications

Roman Starovoit, former Russian transport minister, took his own life a few hours after the official publication of the decree by which President Vladimir Putin dismissed him. The 52-year-old’s lifeless body was found inside his car in the Odintsovo district, near Moscow, with a gunshot wound to the head.

The suicide was confirmed by Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the Duma Defence Committee, after the Investigative Committee announced the opening of an investigation and the discovery of the weapon. The gun found at the scene had been given to Starovoit in 2023 by the Ministry of the Interior as a merit award. According to an investigative source cited by Forbes Russia, the former minister took his own life between Saturday and Sunday.

Starovoit was appointed Minister of Transport in May 2024, after serving as governor of the Kursk region since 2018. In early 2024, he was replaced by Aleksei Smirnov, his former deputy, who was arrested last April along with his colleague Aleksei Dodov. Both are involved in an investigation into corruption and embezzlement of over one billion roubles, funds that were supposed to be used for the construction of military fortifications in the region bordering Ukraine. Smirnov is said to have testified against Starovoit during the criminal investigation.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)