Moscow, Russia – July 8, 2025 – Roman Starovoit, Russia’s transport minister who was dismissed by President Vladimir Putin earlier on Monday, has been found dead in his car outside Moscow with a gunshot wound. State investigators have stated that the principal hypothesis is that he took his own life.
The presidential decree announcing the dismissal of Starovoit, 53, after barely a year in the job, provided no reason for the decision. However, political analysts were quick to speculate that his removal might be connected to an ongoing corruption investigation in the Kursk region, which he formerly governed.
Corruption Allegations and the Kursk Scandal
While Reuters could not independently confirm these suggestions, a transport industry source indicated that Starovoit’s position had been under scrutiny for months due to the same corruption scandal. This investigation focuses on whether 19.4 billion roubles (approximately $246 million) allocated in 2022 for fortifying Russia’s border with Ukraine in the Kursk region were properly spent or if some of these funds were embezzled.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, responsible for probing major crimes, has stated it is working to establish the precise circumstances of Starovoit’s death. Law enforcement sources, cited by various Russian media outlets, reported that a pistol belonging to Starovoit, who was divorced with two daughters, was found near his body. Some reports, also citing law enforcement sources, claimed his body was found with a gunshot wound to the head in bushes near his Tesla car, rather than inside the vehicle itself. The car was left near a park not far from his home in the Moscow region.
Before his appointment as transport minister in May 2024, Starovoit served as governor of the Kursk region for nearly five years. Three months into his ministerial term, Ukrainian troops launched a significant incursion into Kursk, the largest foreign penetration into Russian territory since World War Two. The Ukrainian forces were only pushed out earlier this year after fierce fighting.
In April of this year, Alexei Smirnov, Starovoit’s successor as governor and his former deputy, was charged with embezzling money designated for defense purposes. Accusations suggested that funds intended for border defenses were stolen, potentially leaving Kursk more vulnerable to Ukrainian attacks. Russian media outlets reported on Monday that Smirnov, who has pleaded not guilty to embezzlement, had told state investigators that Starovoit was also involved in the fraud. Reuters could not confirm these claims, and Smirnov’s lawyer declined to comment.
Transport Sector Challenges and New Appointment
Starovoit’s dismissal and subsequent death come at a time of considerable challenges for Russia’s transport sector, now in its fourth year of the war in Ukraine. The country’s aviation sector faces a shortage of spare parts, and Russian Railways, the nation’s largest employer, is struggling with soaring interest costs due to high rates implemented to curb war-exacerbated inflation. Furthermore, long-range Ukrainian drones frequently force Russian airports to suspend operations for safety, causing significant disruption.
The Kremlin announced that Andrei Nikitin, a former governor of the Novgorod region, has been appointed acting transport minister. Photographs of Nikitin shaking hands with President Putin in the Kremlin were released. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin believes Nikitin possesses the appropriate professional qualities and experience for the role. The transport ministry declined to comment on the matter. During his meeting with Putin, Nikitin spoke of his commitment to digitizing Russia’s transport industry to reduce cargo bottlenecks and ensure smoother cross-border flows of goods.
