Samuel Omang
Russia’s former Transport Minister, Roman Starovoyt, has died in what authorities are calling a suspected suicide, just hours after being dismissed from his cabinet post by President Vladimir Putin.
The 53-year-old official, who previously served as governor of the Ukraine-bordering Kursk region, reportedly shot himself inside his Tesla Model X in a town west of Moscow, according to Telegram channels with close ties to Russia’s security services.
The country’s Investigative Committee confirmed Starovoyt’s death on Monday, which coincided with his formal removal from office. However, it remains unclear whether he took his own life before or after the presidential decree was signed.
Starovoyt’s death follows the launch of a criminal investigation into alleged large-scale embezzlement involving the construction of military fortifications in the Kursk region. Russian authorities have accused his successor as regional governor, as well as the deputy governor, of stealing more than one billion rubles (over $12 million) in state funds allocated for the project. Both men have been arrested.
Several Russian media outlets have reported that Starovoyt himself was under investigation in connection with the scandal, though no formal charges had been announced at the time of his death.
If confirmed, this would mark the first known suicide of a senior Russian official amid mounting pressure related to the war in Ukraine and corruption allegations tied to military logistics.
The Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, was partially under Ukrainian control for six months until March 2025, making it a strategic frontline area where massive state funds were directed toward defensive infrastructure.
Starovoyt’s death also comes as Ukraine continues to mount disruptive drone attacks on Russian infrastructure. Since Saturday, Russia’s aviation authority Rosaviatsia has recorded nearly 500 cancelled flights and almost 2,000 delays, largely at airports in Moscow and St. Petersburg. These disruptions reflect a growing trend of frequent drone-related shutdowns across Russian airspace since the spring.