Russia’s former Transport Minister Roman Starovoyt, 53, was found dead on Monday from an apparent gunshot to his head, in what law enforcement authorities are investigating as a possible suicide, just hours after he was relieved of his duties.
Starovoyt served as the governor of the Kursk region for six years before he was appointed as transport minister last year. Shortly after stepping into his new role, Ukraine forces captured the region amid its war with Russia, but Russia has since gotten it back.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said it was still investigating Starovoyt’s death. He was reportedly found in his car outside of a wealthy neighborhood near Moscow, and some Russian media reports indicate he left his office after the dismissal without saying goodbye to colleagues, per Fox News.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has dismissed questions over whether Starovoyt was terminated from his position over a loss of confidence, but has not further commented on the reason for the man’s recent termination.
Starovoyt’s death also comes after Russian authorities accused former officials from Kursk of embezzling more than $12 million in funds that Moscow designated to fortify the border with Ukraine during Starovoyt’s administration. Starovoyt had not been publicly accused of any crimes prior to his death, according to the New York Times.
The former Russian official has been replaced with Andrei S. Nikitin, who previously served as the governor of Russia’s Novgorod region.
Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.
