Russia’s ex-transport miner, fired Putin, dies suicide hours later | World News

Roman Starovoit, who was recently removed from his role as Russia’s transport miner, has been found dead in his car outside Moscow, according to state investigators, Reuters reported on Monday.
Investigators said Starovoit had a gunshot wound and that they were working to establish the full circumstances of his death. Several Russian media outlets, citing law enforcement sources, said a pol believed to belong to him was found in the vehicle.
Starovoit was dismissed from his post earlier the same day President Vladimir Putin. The presidential decree did not give a reason for the decision. He had held the transport minry role for just over a year.
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Before becoming transport miner in May 2024, Starovoit served as governor of the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine. During his time there, the region saw intense fighting. Ukrainian troops entered the area in a major cross-border incursion, which lasted for months.
In April this year, Starovoit’s successor in Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, was charged with embezzling money that had been set aside for border defences. Some political analysts have suggested that Starovoit’s dismissal may be linked to that investigation. Reuters noted that it could not confirm this connection independently. A transport industry source told that there had been questions about Starovoit’s position for months.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was asked if the dismissal showed a loss of trust from the president. He said, “A loss of trust is mentioned if there is a loss of trust. There is no such wording in the decree.”
Starovoit’s departure comes at a difficult time for Russia’s transport sector. The country’s aviation industry is struggling with a lack of spare parts, while Russian Railways faces high borrowing costs.Story continues below this ad
Following Starovoit’s dismissal, the Kremlin announced that Andrei Nikitin, former governor of the Novgorod region, has been appointed acting transport miner. The Kremlin shared photographs of Nikitin meeting President Putin.
Peskov said, “At present, in the president’s opinion, Andrei Nikitin’s professional qualities and experience will best contribute to ensuring that this agency, which the president described as extremely important, fulfils its tasks and functions.”
At the Kremlin meeting, Nikitin spoke about efforts to modernise the transport sector, including plans to digitise systems and improve the movement of goods across borders.