Russian minister found dead hours after being sacked by Putin
Roman Starovoyt, who had served as transport minister since May 2024, was fired in a presidential decree earlier in the day.
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Hours later, the body of Mr Starovoyt, 53, was found in his car with a gunshot wound, according to Russia's Investigative Committee, the top criminal investigation agency.
A criminal probe has been launched into Mr Starovoyt's death and investigators see suicide as the most likely cause, according to committee's spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko.
Roman Starovoyt is thought to have committed suicide (Dmitry Astakhov/AP)
Russian media have reported that Mr Starovoyt's dismissal could have been linked to an investigation into the embezzlement of state funds allocated for building fortifications in the Kursk region where he served as governor before being appointed transport minister.
The alleged embezzlement has been named as one of the reasons behind deficiencies in Russia's defensive lines that failed to stem a Ukrainian incursion in the region that was launched in August 2024.
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Mr Starovoyt's successor as Kursk governor, Alexei Smirnov, stepped down in December and was arrested on embezzlement charges in April.
Some in the Russian media have alleged that Mr Starovoyt also could have faced charges as part of the investigation.
Mr Starovoyt's dismissal also followed a weekend of travel chaos as Russian airports were forced to ground hundreds of flights due to Ukrainian drone attacks.
An official order releasing Mr Starovoyt from his post was published on the Kremlin's website on Monday morning. It did not give a reason for his dismissal.
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Shortly before the news about Mr Starovoyt's death broke, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on the reasons behind his dismissal.
Mr Peskov praised Mr Starovoyt's replacement, Andrei Nikitin, who was appointed deputy transport minister five months ago.
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