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Russia Today
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Fired Russian transport minister found dead in likely suicide hours after dismissal
Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit has been found dead hours after being dismissed from his post by President Vladimir Putin. Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed on Monday that Starovoit's body was found in a private car in Moscow Region with a gunshot wound. 'The main version under consideration is suicide,' spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko stated. Starovoit's body was found in a Tesla near Malevich Park in Odintsovo, a Moscow suburb, around 3:00pm local time, media reported. A Marakov pistol he had been given as an award was reportedly found beside him. Before becoming transport minister, Starovoit served as governor of Kursk Region. An RT source said an investigation against him was set to begin for allegedly embezzling funds for defense construction in the region from 2022 to 2024, when he was in charge. The source claimed that Starovoit could have been detained by investigators on Monday evening and brought in for questioning, facing charges of multimillion-ruble theft. Ukraine launched a large-scale incursion into Kursk Region last August, in what Kiev officials touted as a blow to Russia. However, Russian forces quickly turned the tide, and Ukrainian troops were fully expelled in late April. Starovoit was replaced by his former deputy, Andrey Nikitin, as acting transport minister. Nikitin, the former governor of Novgorod Region, was appointed deputy transport minister in February 2025, and oversaw digital transformation, informatization, and automation of the national transport system.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russian minister dies by suicide hours after getting fired by Putin, officials say
Former Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit died by suicide on Monday, just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin fired him from the job, officials said. Starovoit was dismissed by Putin on Monday morning. The decree announcing his dismissal was published on the official Kremlin website, with his deputy Andrey Nikitin appointed acting minister. Asked by reporters for the reasons behind Starovoit's dismissal, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied this was due to a 'lack of trust,' but he did not give any alternative reason. The Investigative Committee of Russia said in a statement that Starovoit's body was found inside a car in Odintsovo, a suburb of Moscow. He was found with a gunshot wound, the committee said. It said the circumstances of his death were being investigated but the 'main theory is suicide.' Before he became a minister in May 2024, Starovoit was the governor of the southern Russian Kursk region. While he left the post before Ukraine's surprise incursion, he was partially blamed for security failures in the Russian region. Russian media reported on Monday that Starovoit has been implicated in an investigation into the embezzlement of state funds allocated for building fortifications in the region. Vesti, a state TV program, as well as RBC, a Russian independent business media outlet, and the Russian business daily newspaper Kommersant reported that he was being investigated. Kommersant said Starovoit was facing an arrest. Alexei Smirnov, Starovoit's predecessor in the Kursk governor role who was previously his deputy, was arrested in the same case in April this year, according to court in Moscow. The dismissal came amid a multi-day disruption to air travel in Russia. Russian Federal Agency for Air Transport said 485 flights were canceled, 88 were diverted and 1,900 were delayed over the weekend and into Monday. The agency said the cancellations were down to 'external interference,' without giving any specifics. But the Russian Defense Ministry said more than 400 Ukrainian long-range strikes were intercepted during the same period of time. The Ukrainian military said it also struck a chemical plant in Krasnozavodsk, north of Moscow early on Monday. It said the plant manufactures 'pyrotechnic devices and ammunition, including thermobaric warheads for Shahed-type' drones. At least 12 civilians were killed and more than 90 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine in the 24 hours to mid-morning on Monday, according to Ukrainian authorities. At least 29 people, including three children aged 3, 7 and 11, were injured when Russian drones hit a residential building, a kindergarten and a commercial area at 6 a.m. local time Monday (11 p.m. ET on Sunday) in Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine. At least 17 more people, including a teenage boy, were injured when the same city was struck with drones again just five hours later, according to Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov. The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia fired four surface-to-air missiles and 101 Shahed-type drones at Ukraine in the past 24 hours, adding that it downed 75 of the drones either by shooting them down or by jamming. The Land Forces of Ukraine said on Monday that two of its recruitment offices were hit by Russian drones on Monday, the latest in a string of similar incidents. Six draft offices across the country have been attacked by Russian drones in just over a week, the Land Forces said in a statement, adding that they believed Russia was attacking the offices in an attempt to disrupt the Ukrainian military's enlistment process. At least two people have been killed and more than a dozen injured in these attacks, the statement said. Editor's Note: Help is available if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters. In the United States, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide also can provide contact information for crisis centers around the world.
Al Bawaba
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Russian ex-minister dies by suicide hours after dismissal
ALBAWABA- Former Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit died by suicide on Monday, just hours after President Vladimir Putin dismissed him from his post, according to Russian authorities. Also Read Russia captures first village in Dnipropetrovsk region The Kremlin published the official decree of Starovoit's dismissal Monday morning, naming his deputy, Andrey Nikitin, as acting minister, as reported by CNN. When pressed by reporters for the reason behind the sudden move, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied it was due to a 'lack of trust' but offered no further explanation. Former Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit dies by suicide just hours after President Putin fired him from the job, officials say — CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) July 7, 2025 Later that day, Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed that Starovoit's body was found inside a car with a gunshot wound. While investigations are ongoing, officials say suicide is the leading theory. Starovoit had previously served as governor of the southern Kursk region, where he was partially blamed for earlier lapses in security. Although he stepped down before a surprise Ukrainian incursion, some critics continued to hold him accountable. His dismissal came at a time of chaos in Russia's air travel sector. Over the weekend and into Monday, the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency reported 485 flight cancellations, 88 diversions, and nearly 1,900 delays. The agency attributed the disruption to 'external interference' without elaboration. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said over 400 long-range Ukrainian strikes were intercepted during the same period.
CNN
07-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Russian minister dies by suicide hours after getting fired by Putin, state media reports
Former Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit died by suicide on Monday, just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin fired him from the job, Russian state news agency RIA reported. Starovoit was dismissed by Putin on Monday morning. The decree announcing his dismissal was published on the official Kremlin website, with his deputy Andrey Nikitin appointed acting minister. Asked by reporters for the reasons behind Starovoit's dismissal, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied this was due to a 'lack of trust,' but he did not give any alternative reason. The Investigative Committee of Russia said in a statement that Starovoit's body was found inside a car with a gunshot wound. It said the circumstances of his death were being investigated but that the 'main theory is suicide.' Before he became a minister, Starovoit was the governor of the southern Russian Kursk region. While he left the post before Ukraine's surprise incursion, he was partially blamed for security failures in the Russian region. The dismissal came amid a multi-day disruption to air travel in Russia. Russian Federal Agency for Air Transport said 485 flights were cancelled, 88 were diverted and 1,900 were delayed. This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN
07-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Russian minister dies by suicide hours after getting fired by Putin, state media reports
Former Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit died by suicide on Monday, just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin fired him from the job, Russian state news agency RIA reported. Starovoit was dismissed by Putin on Monday morning. The decree announcing his dismissal was published on the official Kremlin website, with his deputy Andrey Nikitin appointed acting minister. Asked by reporters for the reasons behind Starovoit's dismissal, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied this was due to a 'lack of trust,' but he did not give any alternative reason. The Investigative Committee of Russia said in a statement that Starovoit's body was found inside a car with a gunshot wound. It said the circumstances of his death were being investigated but that the 'main theory is suicide.' Before he became a minister, Starovoit was the governor of the southern Russian Kursk region. While he left the post before Ukraine's surprise incursion, he was partially blamed for security failures in the Russian region. The dismissal came amid a multi-day disruption to air travel in Russia. Russian Federal Agency for Air Transport said 485 flights were cancelled, 88 were diverted and 1,900 were delayed. This is a developing story and will be updated.
