From deadly windows to toad venom: How Putin's rivals are dying under mysterious circumstances
, Russia's former transport minister, was found dead with a gunshot wound inside a parked car in Odintsovo, a wealthy suburb near Moscow, just hours after his dismissal from office. Russian authorities, including the Investigative Committee, claimed suicide as the likely cause and noted that a gun—allegedly a ceremonial gift—was found beside him. However, reports suggest he may have died before the Kremlin publicly announced his removal, adding to growing speculation.
Starovoit, 53, had last appeared in an official video on Sunday. By Monday morning, President Vladimir Putin issued a decree dismissing him from office without explanation. Russian media have linked his ouster to a corruption probe involving state funds allocated for fortifications in the Kursk region—where he had served as governor before joining the federal cabinet.
His death is the latest in a troubling series of fatalities among Russian elites, many of whom have died under suspicious circumstances. Just days earlier, Andrei Badalov, a vice president at pipeline giant Transneft, reportedly fell from a Moscow window. Other recent cases involve top oil executives, diplomats, and financial officials—many dying in apparent suicides or freak accidents.
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According to
The Sydney Morning Herald
, the list includes:
Ivan Sechin
, 35, son of Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin, died in February 2024 after reporting kidney pain at home.
Vitaly Robertus
, 53, Lukoil VP, was found hanged in his Moscow office in March.
Dzianis Sidarenka
, 48, Belarus's ambassador to Germany, fell from a window in Minsk in June.
Georgy Chibisov
, 44, a marketing executive, drowned in the Moskva River in July after falling off a cruise ship.
Mikhail Rogachev
, 64, former Yukos VP, died in October after falling from his Moscow apartment.
Buvaisar Saitiev
, 49, a Putin ally and Olympic champion, also reportedly died after a window fall in March 2025.
Andrei Badalov
, 62, was found dead on July 4, 2025—again beneath a window.
Critics suggest a broader pattern, possibly involving Russia's security services. Activist and financier William Browder, who exposed Kremlin abuses in his book
Red Notice
, famously quipped: 'Windows are very dangerous in Russia.'
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Adding to the mystery, reports emerged of another unexplained death at the Ministry of Transport on the same day as Starovoit's. A 42-year-old senior civil servant reportedly died suddenly during a meeting—possibly from cardiac arrest—though no official confirmation has been released, according to Swiss news outlet
Bluewin
.
The
Sydney Morning Herald
had earlier reported that 23 Russian billionaires died under mysterious circumstances in 2023 alone. Some were found after apparent suicides, others died in bizarre and brutal ways—including a gas executive whose family was reportedly bludgeoned with an axe, and one individual who died from poisoning via a shaman's toad venom.
Former Russian defense minister Andrei Kartapolov added further intrigue by suggesting Starovoit may have died
before
the dismissal decree was made public—raising questions about the official timeline.
As Russian prosecutors ramp up corruption investigations, with recent convictions of high-ranking military officials, some analysts believe an internal purge is underway. Regardless, the pattern of deaths paints a grim picture of life inside Putin's inner circle—and the risks of falling from favor.
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