Former Russian Transport Minister Starovoit Found Dead After Sudden Dismissal

Roman Starovoit, the former Transport Minister of Russia, has been found dead just hours after being removed from his position by President Vladimir Putin on Monday, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee.

The reason for his dismissal was not made public. Soon after his removal, Deputy Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin was appointed as the new minister, BBC reported.

Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of Starovoit’s death. He had been appointed Transport Minister in May 2024 and previously served as the Governor of Kursk region for nearly nine years.

Before the official announcement of Starovoit’s death, journalists had asked Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov whether recent events in Kursk led to a loss of trust from President Putin. Peskov responded by saying, “If trust had been lost, it would have been mentioned in the presidential order. No such wording was used.”