Russian minister found dead, likely of suicide, authorities say

Roman Starovoit, recently dismissed as Russia's Transportation Minister, was found dead in his car. Photo / Dmitry Astakhov, AFP

Russia’s recently fired Transportation Minister, Roman Starovoit, 53, was found dead in his car and probably died of suicide, Russia’s State Investigative Committee says.

Starovoit’s body was found in Odintsovo, a suburb of Moscow, spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said on Monday in a post on the messaging site Telegram. An investigation is under way to determine how he died, but “the main preliminary cause of death is suicide”.

News of Starovoit’s death came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in a decree that he was relieving Starovoit of his job. He did not give a reason for the change.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Starovoit was being replaced by Andrei Nikitin, the Deputy Minister of Transportation and a former governor of the Novgorod region of western Russia. Peskov said only that Putin believed Nikitin’s experience was best suited for the job.

“You talk about loss of confidence, if it is a loss of confidence. As you can see, no such wording was used,” Peskov told journalists.

But Mash, a publication with links to Russian law enforcement, said Monday that Starovoit was a suspect in a large-scale criminal fraud case tied to development contracts he approved while he was governor of the Kursk region of western Russia.

Alexei Smirnov, Starovoit’s successor as governor of the Kursk region, along with his first deputy Alexei Dedov were arrested and charged with large-scale fraud in April.

They have been blamed for the failure of Russian fortifications at Kursk’s border with Ukraine, after Ukrainian forces staged the biggest foreign invasion into Russia since World War II, rapidly capturing and occupying a large part of the Kursk region for nine months. But Smirnov had only been governor of Kursk for a few months when the attack happened while Starovoit held that position for more than five years.

It was not immediately clear on Monday whether the investigation was connected to Starovoit’s death, but according to Russian outlet Shot, Smirnov testified against Starovoit.

Starovoit was appointed Transportation Minister in May 2024, just a few months before the August invasion. His unexpected dismissal comes as Russia’s transport sector faces significant challenges exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Western sanctions.

Russia’s aviation sector is struggling amid a shortage in spare parts and Russian Railways, the country’s largest employer, is facing soaring interest costs. And in recent months, the country’s airports have been beset with escalating problems amid increased Ukrainian drone attacks and shutdowns.