Tragic Farewell: Roman Starovoit Laid to Rest Amid Controversy Following Sudden Dismissal and Suspected Suicide

A funeral for the former Minister of Transportation, Roman Starovoit, took place in St. Petersburg on Friday, just days after his apparent suicide outside of Moscow, following his unexpected dismissal by President Vladimir Putin.

The ceremony, held in the morning, was attended by Leningrad region Governor Alexander Drozdenko and other federal and regional officials who had collaborated with Starovoit throughout his career, as reported by the local news source Fontanka.

Footage released by the Kommersant business newspaper showed a small gathering at Smolensky Cemetery on Vasilyevsky Island, where a hearse, accompanied by four pallbearers, awaited to transport the former minister to his final resting place.

According to Fontanka, Starovoit was laid to rest near the Chapel of St. Ksenia, in a section of the historical cemetery designated by authorities for notable cultural and governmental figures.

Starovoit, born in Kursk 53 years ago, spent a significant portion of his childhood in the Leningrad region.

His funeral was held one day after a memorial service in Moscow attended by several high-ranking Kremlin officials. Although President Putin did not attend, he did send a floral tribute, as noted by the Kremlin.

Starovoit was discovered deceased from a gunshot wound near a parking area outside Moscow on Monday, just hours after being dismissed by the Russian president without explanation. Law enforcement authorities are treating the incident as a suspected suicide.

Reports indicate that Starovoit had left a two-word farewell message in a work chat for the Transportation Ministry prior to his passing, stating, “It was an honor,” according to an unnamed deputy of the late minister, as cited by Kommersant.

Starovoit was dismissed more than a year after taking up the role of transportation minister. Prior to this position, he served as the governor of the Kursk region from 2018 until May 2024.

His removal and subsequent death have sparked rumors that he may have been facing legal action related to an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption concerning the construction of border defenses in the Kursk area, which experienced a significant Ukrainian incursion last August.

While he had not been officially implicated in this investigation, Russian media reported unnamed sources suggesting that individuals implicated in the case, including his predecessor in the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, had recently testified against him.