Russian Minister Dies Hours After Dismissal, Russia Confirms

The recent death of former Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit has raised significant concerns regarding the circumstances surrounding his abrupt dismissal and subsequent demise. Found dead from a gunshot wound shortly after being dismissed by President Vladimir Putin, Starovoit's death has been officially classified as a suicide by the Investigative Committee of Russia . The timing of this incident raises questions about the political climate within the Kremlin and potential underlying issues related to corruption and accountability in government officials.

The body of Roman Starovoit, the ex-minister, was found in his car in a Moscow suburb. He appeared to have killed himself, Russia’s investigative committee said in a statement.

The Kremlin published an order signed by Putin to remove Starovoit from his position as transport minister on Monday morning, shortly before news of his death was made public. No reason was given for his dismissal in the order, which was dated 7 July at 9.15am.

But Russian media, including the local edition of Forbes, have reported that Starovoit may have died as early as Friday evening, before the order to dismiss him was published. The timeline of his death and dismissal has not been confirmed by investigators. A member of the State Duma, Andrei Kartapolov, told Russian journalists that Starovoit had died “quite long ago”.

According to Russian outlet Kommersant, Starovoit was about to be brought in as a defendant in the same case.

It is unclear when, exactly, he died.

The head of the State Duma Defence Committee, Andrei Kartapolov, told Russian outlet RTVI that his death occurred "quite a while ago".

Earlier on Monday, before Starovoit's death was announced, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was pressed by reporters on whether the dismissal meant Putin had lost trust in Starovoit over the events in Kursk.

Since Mr. Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, failures on the battlefield have at times been followed by demonstrative action against Russian officials.

The defense minister at the time of the invasion, Sergei K. Shoigu, was removed from his post after pro-Russian commentators and other analysts partly blamed him for the Russian military’s failures in the early stages of the assault.

Reports suggest that Starovoit's dismissal may have been connected to an ongoing embezzlement investigation, although no official reason was provided for his termination . Such allegations highlight systemic issues within Russian governance, where corruption remains a pervasive challenge. The rapid succession of events—dismissal followed by suicide—suggests a troubling nexus between political pressure and personal despair. Moreover, the lack of transparency from state authorities only amplifies public suspicion regarding the integrity of governmental operations in Russia .

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Sara H

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