Roman Starovoit, the former Russian Transport Minister, was found dead in his personal car in Odintsovo, a Moscow suburb, on Monday, July 7, 2025, with a gunshot wound, hours after President Vladimir Putin dismissed him from his post.
Svetlana Petrenko, spokesperson for Russia’s State Investigative Committee, confirmed the discovery and stated that investigators are working to establish the circumstances, with suicide as the primary hypothesis.
Starovoit, 53, was sacked by Putin via a presidential decree published Monday morning, which provided no official reason for his dismissal after just over a year as Transport Minister.
His death has drawn attention due to its timing and a reported corruption probe linked to his tenure as governor of Kursk from 2018 to 2024.
Russian media cited sources claiming Starovoit was implicated in an embezzlement scandal involving funds for border fortifications, which allegedly contributed to the failure of defenses during a Ukrainian incursion in August 2024.
Petrenko noted that a Makarov pistol, awarded to Starovoit by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2023, was found near his body, which some reports suggest was located near bushes outside his Tesla Model X, not inside the vehicle.
Conflicting reports exist about the exact timing of his death, with some sources alleging it occurred as early as Saturday, though official statements align with Monday.
The Kremlin appointed Andrei Nikitin, former Novgorod governor, as acting Transport Minister. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Starovoit’s dismissal was due to a “loss of trust,” emphasizing that such wording would have been explicit in the decree.
The case continues to fuel speculation, with posts on X questioning the suicide narrative, though no conclusive evidence of foul play has been reported.