Kremlin Stunned by Death of Ex-Transportation Minister Following Dismissal

The Kremlin expressed its «shock» on Tuesday regarding the apparent suicide of former Transportation Minister Roman Starovoit, who was discovered deceased from a gunshot wound shortly after President Vladimir Putin dismissed him on Monday.

«It is impossible not to be shocked by this event, and we were certainly taken aback as well,» stated Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov during a press briefing. He noted that Putin had been “immediately notified” of Starovoit’s passing but refrained from providing further comments, referencing the active police inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Starovoit’s death.

According to police reports, Starovoit’s body was located on Monday beside his Tesla in the affluent Moscow suburb of Odintsovo. He had held the position of Transportation Minister for just over a year, following a tenure as the governor of the Kursk region from 2018 to 2024.

His dismissal and subsequent death have sparked speculation regarding potential criminal charges linked to an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption related to the construction of border defenses in Kursk, which experienced a significant Ukrainian incursion last August.

While Starovoit had not officially been tied to any accusations in the investigation, Russian media reported, citing anonymous sources, that defendants in the case—including his predecessor, Alexei Smirnov—had provided testimony against him.

Previous reports indicated that the border defenses, completed during Starovoit’s governorship, incurred expenses totaling nearly 15 billion rubles (approximately $190 million) and required nearly three years to finalize. Despite the substantial investment in these fortifications, Ukrainian forces were able to swiftly capture considerable areas in the Kursk region with minimal resistance.

On Tuesday, the lower house of Russia’s State Duma unanimously approved Deputy Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin as Starovoit’s successor.