Putins Absence at Starovoits Memorial Raises Questions Amid Unfolding Scandal

Several high-ranking officials from the Kremlin attended a memorial service on Thursday for former Transportation Minister Roman Starovoit, while President Vladimir Putin sent a wreath but did not personally participate in the event.

Starovoit was discovered dead from a gunshot wound near a parking area outside of Moscow on Monday, mere hours after Putin dismissed him from his role without explanation. Law enforcement is investigating the incident as a suspected suicide.

The president has not yet publicly addressed Starovoit’s death. Earlier this week, the Kremlin stated that Putin was “immediately informed” about the apparent suicide but did not provide any additional information.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov informed reporters on Thursday that Putin had sent a wreath for the farewell event but did not disclose who represented the Presidential Administration at the ceremony. “There’s no obligation here, so I can’t specify who attended from the administration. It’s entirely a personal choice,” he noted, explaining that Putin’s schedule prevented him from being present.

A video shared by the Kommersant business newspaper displayed crowds outside the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow, where the memorial service was held. This hospital is known for treating the political and business elite of Russia.

Attendees included Deputy Prime Ministers Dmitry Grigorenko, Alexander Novak, and Dmitry Patrushev, as well as at least four cabinet ministers and heads of major state transportation firms. Additionally, Starovoit’s successor, Andrei Nikitin, was also in attendance.

His funeral is anticipated to take place in St. Petersburg on Friday.

Starovoit’s dismissal occurred just a year after his installation as transportation minister. Prior to that, he held the position of governor of the Kursk region from 2018 until May 2024.

His removal and subsequent death have sparked speculation regarding a potential criminal investigation he may have faced linked to allegations of corruption related to the construction of border defenses in the Kursk region, which experienced a significant Ukrainian incursion last August.

Although Starovoit had not been formally accused in the investigation, Russian media cited unnamed sources claiming that suspects in the case, including his predecessor in the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, had recently testified against him.