Russian former minister gets killed hours after being sacked

2025-07-08 02:36:23

(MENAFN) Roman Starovoyt, who was dismissed from his position as Russia’s transport minister just hours earlier, was discovered dead with a gunshot wound in the Moscow region, authorities confirmed on Thursday.

Svetlana Petrenko, spokesperson for the Russian Investigative Committee, stated that an investigation has been launched to determine the circumstances surrounding the former minister’s death. She said Starovoyt was found in his car, and the leading theory is that he took his own life.

Emergency services reported that the incident occurred in Odintsovo, a city near Moscow. Russian state media also cited these sources, indicating that the death is suspected to be a suicide.

Earlier that day, President Vladimir Putin signed an official decree removing Starovoyt from the transport minister role. Starovoyt had been appointed to the post in May 2024, following his tenure as governor of the Kursk border region, a position he held since September 2019.

Subsequently, Putin issued a second decree naming Andrey Nikitin, Starovoyt’s deputy, as the acting transport minister.

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