Minister Dies by Suicide Hours After Being Sacked

Minister Dies by Suicide Hours After Being Dismissed

Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit was found dead from a gunshot wound on Monday, July 7, just hours after President Vladimir Putin removed him from office. His body was discovered in a car in Odintsovo, a suburb of Moscow. Investigators say suicide is the leading theory, though the circumstances remain under investigation.

Starovoit’s dismissal was formalized earlier that day, when Putin signed a decree replacing him with Deputy Minister Andrey Nikitin as acting head of the ministry. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied the move was due to a loss of trust, offering no further explanation.

Starovoit, appointed transport minister in May 2024, had previously served as governor of Russia’s Kursk region. Though he stepped down before Ukraine’s surprise incursion into the area, he was partially blamed for security failures. Russian media reported that Starovoit was under investigation for misappropriating state funds intended for building fortifications. His predecessor in Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, was arrested in April in connection with the same case, and some outlets suggested Starovoit, too, faced imminent arrest.

His firing came amid widespread disruption in Russian air travel. Between the weekend and Monday, the Federal Agency for Air Transport reported 485 flight cancellations, 88 diversions, and around 1,900 delays, blaming “external interference.” At the same time, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had intercepted over 400 Ukrainian long-range attacks. Ukraine also claimed a successful strike on a chemical plant north of Moscow used to manufacture ammunition and drone components.

Meanwhile, at least 12 civilians were killed and more than 90 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the same 24-hour period. In Kharkiv, drone strikes hit a residential building, kindergarten, and commercial site, injuring 29 people, including three children. A second wave of attacks later that day injured at least 17 more. Ukraine’s Air Force said it intercepted or jammed 75 of 101 Shahed drones launched by Russia.

Ukrainian officials also reported that two military recruitment offices were hit by Russian drones on Monday, marking six such strikes in just over a week. The attacks have killed at least two and injured more than a dozen, which Ukrainian authorities say is a targeted effort to hinder military enlistment.