Former Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit was found dead in his car Monday, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed him from his post, according to local officials.
Svetlana Petrenko, a spokesperson for Russia’s State Investigative Committee, said the former minister’s body was found in his personal car with a gunshot wound and that the committee was on the scene investigating.
Starovoit’s death “is preliminary being called a suicide,” according to TASS, the state-run news agency.
Starovoit was dismissed from his post Monday morning, and Putin tapped Andrey Kinitin to serve in his stead as acting transport minister.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the former minister was not fired “due to a loss of trust,” adding, “otherwise, the presidential decree would have explicitly stated so,” TASS reported.
The Kremlin posted an official decree signed by Putin on Monday morning, saying Starovoit had been relieved of his duties. Starovoit began in the post in May 2024.
He had previously served for several years as governor of the Kursk region, which was invaded by Kyiv three months after he became transport minister. Ukraine held that territory until April of this year, when Russian troops forced them out.
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