Russia's former transport minister dies from gunshot wound hours after sacking
The body of Roman Starovoit, the ex-minister, was found in his car in a Moscow suburb. He appeared to have killed himself, Russia's investigative committee said in a statement.
The Kremlin published an order signed by Putin to remove Starovoit from his position as transport minister on Monday morning shortly before news of his death was made public. No reason was given for his dismissal in the order, which was dated 7 July at 9:15am.
But Russian media, including the local edition of Forbes, have reported that Starovoit may have died as early as Friday evening, before the order to dismiss him was published. The timeline of his death and dismissal has not been confirmed by investigators. A member of the State Duma, Andrei Kartapolov, told Russian journalists that Starovoit had died 'quite long ago'.
Starovoit was a prominent official in the Putin government who had previously served from 2018 to 2024 as the governor of the Kursk region, where he oversaw the construction of defensive fortifications for the region on the border with Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
The subsequent governor was arrested in a corruption scandal after investigators claimed that more than 1bn roubles (nearly £10m) had been embezzled from federal funds designated to protect the region from a potential incursion by Ukrainian forces.
Kommersant, a leading Russian business newspaper, reported that other Kursk officials targeted in the embezzlement case had given testimony against Starovoit, indicating that he may also have faced scrutiny or arrest. Top officials who are dismissed from the Russian government can often face criminal charges as they lose the political backing that previously may have protected them from inquiries into their business or political dealings.
Part of the Kursk region was occupied by Ukraine's army last August in a counteroffensive that was deeply embarrassing for the Kremlin, which has sought to keep the war out of Russia and minimise the impact of the conflict on Russian citizens.
Kommersant reported that Starovoit was found with a Makarov pistol that he had been awarded in 2003 for his service 'ensuring public safety' in his role as the governor of the Kursk region.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Fears Russia will sink its own ships in a 'false flag' and blame the West after the Kremlin accused Britain of preparing 'mass raids'
Russia is feared to be preparing false flag attacks on its shadow fleet of sea vessels in order to deter the West from further sanctioning them. According to the Telegraph, a report from the SVR, Moscow 's foreign intelligence service, claimed that the UK was plotting to attack Russia's fleet of ships used to subvert sanctions. The SVR said that the attacks would be designed to look like accidents, causing significant environmental damage and allowing the UK and the rest of NATO to justify further actions against them. The report claimed: 'British intelligence services are planning to use NATO allies to launch a mass raid on the "shadow fleet"; for this purpose, an ecological catastrophe in international waters is being prepared.' But experts said the report's publication raised concerns that Russia is preparing its own false flag operation, a scheme carried out by the Kremlin but designed to look like it has British origins. Dr Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow at RUSI, told the newspaper: 'One interpretation might be that the Russians are insuring themselves against something breaking down or sinking, in a way that creates a pretext for restricting [their movement across the ocean].' So far, at least six tankers have suffered mysterious explosions since the start of the year. The suspicion has largely fallen on Ukraine, as all of the tankers were docked in Russian ports. Some of them were carrying Russian oil. It comes after the National Crime Agency (NCA) warned UK financial firms that Russian oil trading companies are utilising a complex network of companies with deliberately obscure ownership structures in order to evade sanctions. Britain has banned the maritime transportation of Russian oil as its energy exports are funding the war in Ukraine. In 2024, 30 per cent of Russia's federal budget came from oil and gas sales. But Russian oil trading companies are managing to circumvent sanctions to get Western cash which is continuing to fund the Russian state, investigators believe. One of the companies sanctioned last year used over 100 Shadow Fleet oil tankers, vessels which are usually over 15 years old which secretly carry Russian oil. To avoid detection, flags are regularly changed and the ship's automatic identification system is turned off to avoid its movements being tracked, while the oil is often transferred from one ship to another to obscure its origin before the shipment reaches its destination. Over 400 Shadow Fleet vessels have so far been sanctioned by the UK, EU, US and Canada. An NCA spokesman said: 'Today, the National Crime Agency has issued an alert to financial institutions and other members of the UK regulated sector in relation to the sale of Russian oil and gas through the use of Shadow Fleet vessels and front companies. 'Sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine have had a significant impact on its ability to sell oil and gas it produces. 'However, in an effort to circumvent these controls, Russian oil trading companies are utilising a complex network of companies with deliberately obscure ownership structures to evade sanctions whilst accessing Western finance and professional services in order to continue to fund the Russian state.'
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Putin and Trump could now be nearing a 'head-on collision'
Has the relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin gone off the rails?A popular Russian newspaper thinks so. It turned to trains to illustrate the current state of US-Russian ties."A head-on collision seems unavoidable," declared tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets recently."The Trump locomotive and the Putin locomotive are speeding towards each other."And neither is about to turn off or stop and reverse."For the 'Putin locomotive', it's full steam ahead, with the so-called 'Special Military Operation': Russia's war in Ukraine. The Kremlin leader has shown no desire to end hostilities and declare a long-term ceasefire. Meanwhile, the 'Trump locomotive' has been accelerating efforts to pressure Moscow into ending the fighting: announcing deadlines, ultimatums, threats of additional sanctions against Russia and hefty tariffs on Russia's trading partners, like India and to all of that the two US nuclear submarines which President Trump claims he's repositioned closer to you switch from talking about locomotives to nuclear subs, you know things are does that mean the White House is really on a "collision course" with the Kremlin over Ukraine?Or is a visit to Moscow this week by Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, a sign that for all the posturing, a deal between Russia and America to end the fighting is still possible? A warm start following Trump's return In the early weeks of the second Trump presidency, Moscow and Washington appeared well on track to reboot their bilateral hint of a head-on collision. Far from it. At times it seemed as if Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump were in the same carriage, moving in the same direction. In February the United States sided with Russia at the United Nations, opposing a European-drafted resolution that had condemned Russia's "aggression" in a telephone call that month the two presidents talked about visiting each other's countries. It felt like a Putin-Trump summit could happen any day. Meanwhile the Trump administration was exerting pressure on Kyiv, not on Moscow, and picking fights with traditional US allies, such as Canada and Denmark. In speeches and TV interviews, American officials were fiercely critical of Nato and of European of this was music to the Kremlin's ears."America now has more in common with Russia than Washington does with Brussels or with Kyiv," political scientist Konstantin Blokhin from the Russian Academy of Sciences Centre for Security Studies told the Izvestia newspaper in following month the same newspaper was crowing:"The Trumpists are revolutionaries. They are wreckers of the system. They can only be supported in this. The unity of the West is no more. Geo-politically it is no longer an alliance. Trumpism has destroyed the Transatlantic consensus confidently and quickly." Meanwhile Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, had become a regular visitor to Russia. He made four trips here in just over two months, spending hours in talks with Vladimir Putin. After one meeting, the Kremlin leader presented him with a portrait of Donald Trump to take back to the White Trump was said to be "clearly touched" by the President Trump was looking for more than just a painting from Moscow. He wanted President Putin to sign up to an unconditional comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine. Trump's increasing frustration Confident that Russia holds the initiative now on the battlefield, Vladimir Putin has been reluctant to stop fighting, despite his claim that Moscow is committed to a diplomatic is why Donald Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the recent weeks he has condemned Russia's relentless attacks on Ukrainian cities as "disgusting", "disgraceful" and accused President Putin of talking "a lot of bullshit" on Ukraine. Last month, Donald Trump announced a 50-day ultimatum to President Putin to end the war, threatening sanctions and tariffs. He subsequently reduced that to ten days. The deadline is due to expire at the end of this week. So far, there is no sign that Vladimir Putin will yield to pressure from again, how much pressure does Vladimir Putin really feel under?"Because Donald Trump has changed so many deadlines and he's twisted one way or another, I don't think Putin takes him seriously," believes Nina Khrushcheva, a professor of international affairs at The New School, a university in New York City. "Putin's going to fight for as long as he can, or, unless Ukraine says, 'We're tired, we are willing to accept your conditions.'"I think Putin sits there in the Kremlin and thinks that he's fulfilling the dreams of the Russian tsars, and then the general secretaries such as Joseph Stalin, in showing the West that Russia should not be treated with disrespect." A deal is still possible From the picture I've painted so far it may look as if a head-on collision between the Putin and Trump locomotives is Trump sees himself as a great dealmaker and, from the look of things, he hasn't given up trying to secure one with Vladimir Witkoff is due back in Russia this week for talks with the Kremlin leader. We don't know what kind of an offer he may bring with him. But some commentators in Moscow predict there will be more carrot than stick. It did not go unnoticed that on Sunday President Trump said Russia "seem to be pretty good at avoiding sanctions". On Monday, Ivan Loshkarev, associate professor of political theory at MGIMO University, Moscowtold Izvestia that to facilitate dialogue, Mr Witkoff may present "advantageous offers of cooperation [to Russia] that would open up after a deal on Ukraine".Might that be enough to persuade the Kremlin to make peace after three-and-a-half years of war?There's no all, so far in Ukraine Vladimir Putin hasn't budged from his maximalist demands on territory, Ukraine's neutrality and the future size of the Ukrainian Trump wants a deal. Vladimir Putin wants victory. BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
US to build nuclear reactor on the moon
The US is planning to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon as it seeks to push ahead in the space race. Sean Duffy, the new Nasa head, is preparing to announce plans to install a small reactor on the moon to allow astronauts to undertake lengthy missions on the lunar surface and pave the way for future Mars expeditions. A directive from the space agency, seen by The Telegraph argues that a reactor is necessary to stop rival superpowers effectively colonising the Moon and establishing US 'keep-out' zones. China and Russia previously announced a joint effort to put a reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s, it notes. 'The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first,' the directive says, referring to existing plans to explore the Moon and prepare for missions to Mars. Nasa needs to 'move quickly' to 'support a future lunar economy' and 'strengthen our national security in space', it adds. Solar panels are ineffective because nights on the Moon last the equivalent of two weeks on Earth. A Nasa official said: 'If we are going to have a habitable system on the Moon then we have to bring power.' He said small reactors were already in use on submarines and aircraft carriers. 'They solve the problem,' he added. Mr Duffy, who is also the US transport secretary, has directed Nasa to seek industry proposals for a minimum 100 kilowatt reactor to launch by 2030. The agency had already been working on a 40-kilowatt reactor to use on the moon by the early part of the next decade. Mr Duffy was named interim head of Nasa after Donald Trump abruptly withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman, a tech billionaire and commercial astronaut. The move deepened a rift between Mr Trump and Elon Musk, the SpaceX billionaire and until that point one of the president's closest political allies. Mr Musk, who had pushed for Mr Isaacman to be named to the top job, wrote on social media in May: 'It is rare to find someone so competent and good hearted'.
