Latest news with #RomanStarovoyt
News.com.au
15-07-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Why do members of Putin's inner circle keep dying?
The Dead Putin Pals Society has a new member: Russia's outgoing Transport Minister. Roman Starovoyt was found dead in his Tesla sedan on the side of a road in an affluent Moscow suburb recently, with investigators saying he died from a gunshot wound to the head. An ornate ceremonial handgun was found at his side, with the obvious inference being that he took his own life. But Starovoyt was one of Russia's ruling elite. He was rich. He was powerful. He had everything to live for. And self-inflicted death is not the most common cause of death among Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle. That's usually unfortunately-open upper-story windows. Tall flights of slippery stairs. Or unexpectedly toxic cups of tea. The 53-year-old had barely served a year in his powerful federal cabinet role. Hours before his body was found, a single-line Kremlin statement sealed his fate: 'Roman Starovoyt was relieved of the post of Minister of Transport.' Why is not a matter of public record. Practitioners of Kremlin power politics rarely deign to explain. But Putin is under pressure. His war has cost Russia one million dead and wounded. He's spending more than eight per cent of the national budget to sustain his invasion. And Ukraine shows no sign of surrendering after four years of fighting. 'For Putin, ending the war without meeting his core political objectives would be tantamount to a defeat and would leave the patriotic, ultranationalist bloc that he has cultivated and nurtured during the war deeply angered,' argues Kings College London War Studies Emeritus Professor Lawrence Freedman 'The more moderate Russian elite might be relieved by such an outcome, but with so little to show for such a costly effort, there would still be a dangerous reckoning. Many would begin to ask, 'Was it worth it?' and to wonder about the fallibility of Russia's leadership.' Such questions are already being asked. Putin faced a coup from his Wagner mercenary group in 2023. And a relentless toll of dead billionaires, entrepreneurs, parliamentarians and military commanders suggests discontent runs deep. Starovoyt may have been seen as a suitably loyal Putin apparatchik. However, he was unable to keep himself separate from scandal. Russia's internal air and rail travel systems are in chaos. Transport gridlock is the new norm amid Ukraine's deep-penetrating drone attacks. And Starovoyt had been Governor of Kursk. Its defences failed spectacularly in August last year, allowing Ukrainian troops to occupy part of the territory for up to six months. Whatever the cause, sudden death is the ultimate sign of Putin's displeasure. And Starovoyt won't be the last. Oligarch's Disease Russia's State Duma approved a new transport minister the same day Starovoyt's body was discovered in the Moscow suburb of Odintsovo on July 7. The Governor of Novgorod Oblast, Andrei Nikitin, now fills the high-profile position. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov waited until the following day to declare that parliament was 'shocked' at the 'tragic' news of Starovoyt's death. Odds are Starovoyt was blamed for tarnishing Putin's unassailable image. It's all part of the job. 'All dictators need loyal elites to survive in office and govern effectively,' explains political scientist Alexander Baturo of Dublin City University. 'In turn, most dictators tend to value loyalty over competence by rewarding more devoted officials… Most dictators pay relatively less regard for whether such officials also deliver adequate policy performance.' It's all about ego. The leader's ego. Such leaders also dislike bad news. 'Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine in 2022 may partly have been a result of him being surrounded by 'yes-men', and not receiving adequate information and the potential risks involved in such an operation,' Baturo says. Such loyalty is rewarded with a wink and a nod as tacit permission to skim as much from the top as one can safely get away with. Just don't expect support if anything goes wrong. 'And if you're no longer sufficiently sycophantic, there's a long list of crimes conveniently awaiting exposure. 'Sycophancy in Putin's Russia, as with other autocracies, may well mean that leaders do not always get the policies and outcomes they want delivered – just the political backers who flatter them the most,' Baturo concludes. Putin's 'fall guys' The surrender of Russian sovereign territory in Kursk to Ukrainian troops last year was not part of Putin's script. But, then, neither was his anticipated three-day 'special operation' to seize Ukraine supposed to be still going three years later. Naturally, someone needed to be blamed. So his eyes would naturally fall on the Governor who had controlled Kurk's purse strings for more than a decade: Starovoyt. The Kremlin last year ordered an urgent investigation into the cause of the embarrassing Kursk retreat. And two of Starovoyt's former Kursk deputies were arrested in recent months. Russian newspaper Kommersant reports that one of them, Aleksei Smirnov, was prepared to provide testimony incriminating Starovoyt of pocketing funds allocated for the construction of defensive emplacements along the border with Ukraine. But it may have taken more than one embarrassing failure to seal Starovoyt's fate. A dictatorship's trains are always supposed to run on time. So what if they don't? Andrei Korneichuk was a longstanding associate of the minister. The 42-year-old Railway transport official reportedly suddenly collapsed and died during a business meeting the same day Starovoyt's body was found. 'It's highly unlikely this was a coincidence,' Prague-based Russian commentator Ivan Preobrazhensky told European media. 'He was sure Starovoyt wouldn't betray him under any then suddenly, it turns out that your 'protection' either shot himself — or was shot. Panic sets in, and that panic ends the way it ended'. Former Russian defence minister Andrei Kartapolov has further fuelled speculation. As a former member of Putin's inner circle, he'd have a good idea of what happens to those who fall from the Russian dictator's favour. He has suggested that Starovoyt died hours before the dismissal decree was published. The transport minister was last seen in an official video Sunday. Putin's office issued its dismissal Monday - the same day the body was found. Windows are deadly in Moscow Starovolt and Korneichuk have joined a long list of dead Putin pals. Pipeline tycoon Andrei Badalov mysteriously fell from a Moscow window on July 4. Outspoken Putin supporter and Olympic champion Buvaisar Saitiev, 49, also fell from a window in March. It's a relentless, but strangely uniform, toll. Open windows have claimed many of Russia's rich, famous and influential. Others have tumbled down stairs. Some experienced strange but suddenly fatal symptoms. Several have allegedly resorted to suicide. Some two dozen oligarchs died mysteriously in 2023 alone. And the toll was only marginally less last year. It's not entirely unexpected. 'I want you to show solidarity with the government,' President Putin demanded after ordering Russia's richest and most powerful to assemble in Moscow shortly after he invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The threat behind the statement was unspoken but obvious: 'Or else…' Survivors of Putin's displeasure are scarce. Former Russian Defense Minister (and close Putin camping pal) Sergei Shoigu lost his job late last year. He remains a public figure. But his time may be running out. Several of his high-profile former associates have now been fired or arrested. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace says 2024 saw a 'monthslong purge' of Russia's Defense Ministry, resulting in the 'dismantling of the entire elite group that had developed around Shoigu over the decades'. 'Shoigu himself, although he has so far been kept out of harm's way by personal guarantees from the president, is forced to watch what is happening without any possibility of protecting his inner circle or stopping the new arrests.' Another candidate for an open window is General Sergey Surovikin. He saved Putin from humiliation by stabilising Russia's routed forces in 2022. 'Russian wars — no matter how bloody or disastrous — have a habit of producing popular generals,' Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) analysts Irina Borogan and Andrei Soldatov state. 'If there's one thing that frightens Vladimir Putin, it's a popular general. He takes no chances with the military, despite the Kremlin's official proclamations to the contrary. General Surovikin 'disappeared' after the 2023 Wagner mutiny. Only in February did Russia's parliament, the Duma, address his fate. '(He's) somewhere in Africa, but I don't know where exactly, because I never asked. But he is abroad,' parliamentarian Viktor Sobolev explained.
Straits Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Minister's death spooks Russian elite amid corruption clampdown
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Russia's former transport minister Roman Starovoyt, who died by suicide, was buried in St Petersburg on July 11. – The reported suicide of Russia's transport minister hours after he was dismissed by President Vladimir Putin, sparking speculation he would be arrested on corruption charges, has shaken the country's elite. Mr Roman Starovoyt was buried in Saint Petersburg on July 11, with his family weeping at his open coffin before it was lowered into the ground. The 53-year-old was found dead in his car on July 7 in an elite Moscow suburb, hours after Mr Putin issued a decree to fire him, with no explanation. Russian investigators say he shot himself. Media reports said he was being investigated for corruption and could have been arrested within days. While government departments sent flowers and some ministers attended a memorial ceremony in Moscow a day earlier, there was unease over the fate of Mr Starovoyt, who climbed the ranks of Russia's bureaucracy to a seat in the Cabinet. 'It's a great loss. Very unexpected,' said Ms Valentina, a 42-year-old translator whose husband worked with Mr Starovoyt. 'He was very active, cheerful and loved life very much. I don't know how it happened.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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His successor was arrested in the spring for embezzling funds intended to beef up the fortifications that Ukraine ended up slicing through with ease. 'They tried to make him the scapegoat… It's easier to put the blame on a civilian official,' political commentator Andrey Pertsev said. The case is one part of a wider crackdown on officials alleged to have enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian army during the Ukraine offensive. The crackdown is a Kremlin campaign that has ripped up previous norms about what is acceptable for Russian officials. 'There used to be rules, where people knew that, once you climbed up high enough, they wouldn't mess with you,' Mr Pertsev said. 'But they do not work any more.' In a sign of how out of favour Mr Starovoyt had become, Mr Putin has not publicly commented on his death. Asked if Mr Putin would attend the ceremony in Moscow, his spokesman told reporters: 'The President has a different work schedule today.' At the funeral in Saint Petersburg on July 11, two regional governors were the highest ranking officials to show up. 'Holy war' While Mr Putin has criticised corruption and vowed to stamp it out throughout his 25 years in power, his rule has been characterised by systemic graft, critics say. The smattering of high-profile arrests has more typically been used to target opponents or come about as the result of infighting among those lower down Russia's chain of power. But the military offensive against Ukraine has changed that. 'Something within the system has started to work completely differently,' analyst Tatiana Stanovaya wrote after Mr Starovoyt's death. 'Any action or inaction that, in the eyes of the authorities, increases the state's vulnerability to hostile actions by the enemy must be punished mercilessly and uncompromisingly,' she said. In such a climate, it was inevitable that heads would have to roll over the Kursk failings. Professor Nina Khrushcheva, who teaches at The New School, a university in New York City, said Mr Starovoyt's apparent suicide showed the Russian elite was 'scared'. The current climate is such that 'it is impossible to leave the top brass', said Prof Khrushcheva, who is also the great-granddaughter of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. 'This is something we have not really seen since 1953,' she said, referring to Joseph Stalin's execution of a close ally. To the Kremlin, the Ukraine military campaign is a 'holy war' that has rewritten the rules of loyalty and service. 'During a holy war, you don't steal… You tighten your belts and work 24 hours a day to make the weapons you need.' That atmosphere, said Ms Stanovaya, has created a 'sense of hopelessness' among officials in Moscow that is unlikely to fade. 'Going forward, the system will be ready to sacrifice increasingly prominent figures,' she warned. AFP
News.com.au
11-07-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Minister's death spooks Russian elite amid corruption clampdown
The reported suicide of Russia's transport minister hours after he was dismissed by President Vladimir Putin, sparking speculation he would be arrested on corruption charges, has shaken the country's elite. Roman Starovoyt was buried in Saint Petersburg on Friday, with his family weeping at his open coffin before it was lowered into the ground. The 53-year-old was found dead in his car on Monday in an elite Moscow suburb -- hours after Putin issued a decree to fire him, with no explanation. Russian investigators say he shot himself. Media reports said he was being investigated for corruption and could have been arrested within days. While government departments sent flowers and some ministers attended a memorial ceremony in Moscow a day earlier, there was unease over the fate of Starovoyt, who had climbed the ranks of Russia's bureaucracy to a seat in the cabinet. Many who came to the ceremony in Moscow refused to speak to AFP. "It's a great loss. Very unexpected," said Valentina, a 42-year-old translator whose husband worked with Starovoyt. "He was very active, cheerful and loved life very much. I don't know how it happened." - 'Scapegoat' - Starovoyt had been governor of Russia's western Kursk region before being promoted to Moscow, just a few months before Ukrainian troops captured dozens of border settlements in a surprise cross-border incursion. His successor was arrested in the spring for embezzling funds intended to beef up the fortifications that Ukraine ended up slicing through with ease. "They tried to make him the scapegoat... It's easier to put the blame on a civilian official," political commentator Andrey Pertsev told AFP. The case is one part of a wider crackdown on officials alleged to have enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian army during the Ukraine offensive. The crackdown is a Kremlin campaign that has ripped up previous norms about what is acceptable for Russian officials. "There used to be rules, where people knew that once you climbed up high enough, they wouldn't mess with you," Pertsev said. "But they do not work any more." In a sign of how out of favour Starovoyt had become, Putin has not publicly commented on his death. Asked if Putin would attend the ceremony in Moscow, his spokesman told reporters: "The president has a different work schedule today." At the funeral in Saint Petersburg on Friday, two regional governors were the highest-ranking officials to show face. - 'Holy war' - While Putin has criticised corruption and vowed to stamp it out throughout his 25 years in power, his rule has been characterised by systemic graft, critics say. The smattering of high-profile arrests has more typically been used to target opponents or come about as the result of infighting among those lower down Russia's chain of power. But the military offensive against Ukraine has changed that. "Something within the system has started to work completely differently," analyst Tatiana Stanovaya wrote after Starovoyt's death. "Any action or inaction that, in the eyes of the authorities, increases the state's vulnerability to hostile actions by the enemy must be punished mercilessly and uncompromisingly," Stanovaya said. In such a climate, it was inevitable that heads would have to roll over the Kursk failings. Nina Khrushcheva, a professor at The New School, a university in New York City, said Starovoyt's apparent suicide showed the Russian elite was "scared". The current climate is such that "it is impossible to leave the top brass", said Khrushcheva, who is also the great-granddaughter of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. "This is something we have not really seen since 1953," she told AFP, referring to Joseph Stalin's execution of a close ally. To the Kremlin, the Ukraine military campaign is a "holy war" that has rewritten the rules of loyalty and service. "During a holy war, you don't steal... You tighten your belts and work 24 hours a day to make the weapons you need." That atmosphere, said Stanovaya, has created a "sense of hopelessness" among officials in Moscow that is unlikely to fade. "Going forward, the system will be ready to sacrifice increasingly prominent figures," she warned.
News24
11-07-2025
- Politics
- News24
Russia elite in fear following suicide of ex-minister Roman Starovoyt during Ukraine ‘holy war'
Russian minister Roman Starovoyt was fired and then died by suicide. His death has caused unease among Russia's elite. Russian leader Vladimir Putin declined to attend his funeral. The reported suicide of Russia's transport minister hours after he was dismissed by President Vladimir Putin and amid speculation he would be arrested on corruption charges, has shocked the country's elite. Several hundred mourners, including some ministers and state officials, streamed past the open coffin of Roman Starovoyt on Thursday. He was found dead in his car on Monday, hours after being fired by Putin, with Russian investigators saying he shot himself. There was a palpable unease as mourners clutched bouquets of red roses at his farewell. Russian media reported Starovoyt was being investigated for corruption and could have been arrested within days. Many who came to the ceremony refused to speak to AFP. 'It's a great loss, very unexpected,' said one Valentina, a 42-year-old translator whose husband worked with Starovoyt. 'He was very active, cheerful, and loved life very much. I don't know how it happened,' she added. Stringer/AFPTV/AFP Starovoyt had been governor of Russia's western Kursk region for five years before being promoted to Moscow, just a few months before Ukrainian troops captured dozens of border settlements in a shock cross-border incursion. His successor was arrested this spring for embezzling funds intended to beef up the fortifications that Ukraine ended up slicing through with ease - an embarrassing setback for Russia's military. 'They tried to make him the scapegoat, as the incursion mainly happened because there weren't enough soldiers to protect the border, but it's easier to put the blame on a civilian official,' political commentator Andrey Pertsev told AFP. The case is one part of a wider crackdown on officials alleged to have enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian army amid the Ukraine offensive - a Kremlin campaign that has ripped up previous norms about what is acceptable for Russian officials. 'There used to be rules, where people knew that once you climbed up high enough, they wouldn't mess with you,' Pertsev said. You had guarantees, and everyone understood the rules ... but they do not work anymore. Andrey Pertsev In a sign of how out-of-favour Starovoyt had become, Putin has not publicly commented on his death. Asked if he would attend the memorial ceremony in Moscow, Putin's spokesperson told reporters: 'The president has a different work schedule today.' While Putin has criticised and vowed to stamp out corruption throughout his 25 years in power, his rule has been characterised by systemic graft, critics say. The smattering of high-profile arrests has more typically been used to target opponents, or come about as the result of infighting among those lower down Russia's chain of power. But the offensive on Ukraine has changed that. 'Something within the system has started to work completely differently,' analyst Tatiana Stanovaya wrote for Carnegie Politika, an online outlet that publishes commentary on Russian and Eurasian politics. Stringer/AFPTV/AFP The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - the Washington-based think tank that owns Carnegie Politika - is banned in Russia as an 'undesirable organisation'. 'Any action or inaction that, in the eyes of the authorities, increases the state's vulnerability to hostile actions by the enemy must be punished mercilessly and uncompromisingly,' Stanovaya said. In such a climate, it was inevitable that heads would have to roll over the Kursk failings. Nina Khrushcheva, a professor at The New School, a university in New York City, said Starovoyt's apparent suicide showed the Russian elite was 'scared'. The current climate is such that 'it is impossible to leave the top brass,' Khrushcheva, who is also the great-great-granddaughter of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, told AFP. 'This is something we have not really seen since 1953,' she added, referring to the execution of a close ally by Joseph Stalin. To the Kremlin, the Ukraine campaign is a 'holy war' that has rewritten the rules of loyalty and service. 'During a holy war, you don't steal... you tighten your belts and work 24 hours a day to make the weapons you need.' That atmosphere, said Stanovaya, has created a 'sense of hopelessness' among officials in Moscow that is unlikely to fade. 'Going forward, the system will be ready to sacrifice increasingly prominent figures,' she warned.
Malay Mail
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Scapegoat or casualty? Russian minister's death shocks elite amid corruption crackdown and Ukraine fallout
MOSCOW, July 11 — The reported suicide of Russia's transport minister hours after he was dismissed by President Vladimir Putin and amid speculation he would be arrested on corruption charges, has shocked the country's elite. Several hundred mourners, including some ministers and state officials, streamed past the open coffin of Roman Starovoyt yesterday. He was found dead in his car on Monday, hours after being fired by Putin, with Russian investigators saying he shot himself. There was a palpable unease as mourners clutched bouquets of red roses at his farewell. Russian media reported Starovoyt was being investigated for corruption and could have been arrested within days. Many who came to the ceremony refused to speak to AFP. 'It's a great loss, very unexpected,' said one Valentina, a 42-year-old translator whose husband worked with Starovoyt. 'He was very active, cheerful, and loved life very much. I don't know how it happened,' she added. An employee carries a portrait of former transport minister Roman Starovoyt, who died recently, during a farewell ceremony in Moscow July 10, 2025. Starovoyt, 53, had been Russia's transport minister for a year and was previously the governor of the border Kursk region, where Russia had battled a Ukrainian incursion. — AFP pic 'Scapegoat' Starovoyt had been governor of Russia's western Kursk region for five years before being promoted to Moscow, just a few months before Ukrainian troops captured dozens of border settlements in a shock cross-border incursion. His successor was arrested this spring for embezzling funds intended to beef up the fortifications that Ukraine ended up slicing through with ease — an embarrassing setback for Russia's military. 'They tried to make him the scapegoat, as the incursion mainly happened because there weren't enough soldiers to protect the border, but it's easier to put the blame on a civilian official,' political commentator Andrey Pertsev told AFP. The case is one part of a wider crackdown on officials alleged to have enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian army amid the Ukraine offensive — a Kremlin campaign that has ripped up previous norms about what is acceptable for Russian officials. 'There used to be rules, where people knew that once you climbed up high enough, they wouldn't mess with you,' Pertsev said. 'You had guarantees, and everyone understood the rules... but they do not work any more,' he added. In a sign of how out-of-favour Starovoyt had become, Putin has not publicly commented on his death. Asked if he would attend the memorial ceremony in Moscow, Putin's spokesman told reporters: 'The president has a different work schedule today.' 'Holy war' While Putin has criticised and vowed to stamp out corruption throughout his 25 years in power, his rule has been characterised by systemic graft, critics say. The smattering of high-profile arrests has more typically been used to target opponents, or come about as the result of infighting among those lower down Russia's chain of power. But the offensive on Ukraine has changed that. 'Something within the system has started to work completely differently,' analyst Tatiana Stanovaya wrote for Carnegie Politika, an online outlet that publishes commentary on Russian and Eurasian politics. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace — the Washington-based think tank that owns Carnegie Politika — is banned in Russia as an 'undesirable organisation'. 'Any action or inaction that, in the eyes of the authorities, increases the state's vulnerability to hostile actions by the enemy must be punished mercilessly and uncompromisingly,' Stanovaya said. In such a climate, it was inevitable that heads would have to roll over the Kursk failings. Nina Khrushcheva, a professor at The New School, a university in New York City, said Starovoyt's apparent suicide showed the Russian elite was 'scared.' The current climate is such that 'it is impossible to leave the top brass,' Khrushcheva, who is also the great-great-granddaughter of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, told AFP. 'This is something we have not really seen since 1953,' she added, referring to the execution of a close ally by Joseph Stalin. To the Kremlin, the Ukraine campaign is a 'holy war' that has rewritten the rules of loyalty and service. 'During a holy war, you don't steal... you tighten your belts and work 24 hours a day to make the weapons you need.' That atmosphere, said Stanovaya, has created a 'sense of hopelessness' among officials in Moscow that is unlikely to fade. 'Going forward, the system will be ready to sacrifice increasingly prominent figures,' she warned. — AFP * If you are lonely, distressed, or having negative thoughts, Befrienders offers free and confidential support 24 hours a day. A full list of Befrienders contact numbers and state operating hours is available here: There are also free hotlines for young people: Talian Kasih at 15999 (24/7); Talian BuddyBear at 1800-18-2327(BEAR)(daily 12pm-12am); Mental Health Psychosocial Support Service (03-2935 9935 or 014-322 3392); and Jakim's Family, Social and Community Care Centre (WhatsApp 0111-959 8214).
