Former Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit died by suicide on Monday, just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin removed him from his post, according to Russian authorities.
Starovoit’s dismissal was announced early Monday in a decree posted on the Kremlin’s official website. His deputy, Andrey Nikitin, was appointed acting minister.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, when asked about the dismissal, denied it was due to a “lack of trust” but did not offer an alternative explanation.
According to the Investigative Committee of Russia, Starovoit’s body was found with a gunshot wound inside a car in Odintsovo, a suburb of Moscow. The committee said it was investigating the circumstances but that the “main theory is suicide.”
Second Transport Official Also Dies
In a separate incident the same day, Andrey Korneichuk, 42, an official with the Federal Agency for Rail Transport, died suddenly at his workplace. Russian state media reported his death may have been caused by acute heart failure. Authorities have not suggested any link between the two deaths.
Corruption Probe and Fallout
Before becoming transport minister in May 2024, Starovoit served as governor of Kursk region. Although he left before a surprise Ukrainian incursion into the area, he was partially blamed for security lapses during his tenure.
On Monday, multiple Russian media outlets — including Kommersant, Vesti, and RBC — reported that Starovoit had recently come under investigation for allegedly embezzling federal funds allocated for military fortifications in the Kursk region. Kommersant reported that he was facing imminent arrest at the time of his death.
His former deputy and successor as Kursk governor, Alexei Smirnov, was arrested in connection to the same corruption case earlier this year, according to Moscow court records.
Widespread Travel Disruptions in Russia
Starovoit’s dismissal came during a chaotic period for Russian air travel. Over the weekend and into Monday, the Federal Agency for Air Transport reported:
- 485 flight cancellations
- 88 flight diversions
- 1,900 delays
The agency attributed the disruption to “external interference” without elaborating. However, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had intercepted over 400 Ukrainian long-range strikes during the same period.
Separately, Ukraine claimed responsibility for striking a chemical plant in Krasnozavodsk, north of Moscow, on Monday. Ukrainian officials said the facility produced components for Shahed-type drones, including thermobaric warheads.
Deadly Strikes Continue in Ukraine
Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukraine over the past 24 hours left at least 12 civilians dead and more than 90 injured, according to Ukrainian officials.
In Kharkiv, 29 people — including three children aged 3, 7, and 11 — were injured when Russian drones struck a residential building, kindergarten, and commercial area early Monday. A second wave of drone strikes hit the city just five hours later, wounding at least 17 more, local officials said.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched 101 Shahed-type drones and four surface-to-air missiles in the past day. Ukrainian forces say they intercepted 75 of the drones.
Ukraine’s Land Forces also said that two military recruitment offices were hit by drones Monday — part of what they describe as a coordinated Russian effort to disrupt the country’s enlistment operations. Six such offices have been attacked in just over a week, the military said, resulting in at least two deaths and dozens of injuries.
