Russian lawmakers approved a new transport minister, one day after the body of his predecessor was found with a gunshot wound hours after being sacked by President Vladimir Putin.
Putin did not immediately comment on Roman Starovoit’s death, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on July 8 that officials were “shocked” by the “tragic and sad” news.
Starovoit’s body was discovered in his Tesla in Odintsovo, a Moscow region suburb, on July 7. The 53-year-old was dismissed without explanation, after serving less than a year in the role.
Investigators have said suicide was a likely cause but have not announced a definitive conclusion. The high-profile death has prompted widespread speculation.
“The truth will likely never come out, given how unreliable Russian investigations and courts are when it comes to uncovering anything,” Ivan Preobrazhensky, a Prague-based Russian political commentator, told Current Time.
Lawmakers in Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, voted on July 7 to approve Andrei Nikitin, a deputy transport minister, to replace Starovoit.
Embezzlement Investigation
Prior to being named transport minister in May 2024, Starovoit served as governor of Kursk, a southwestern region bordering Ukraine.
The region was invaded by Ukrainian forces last August, embarrassing the Kremlin. Russian forces pushed out the last of the Ukrainian troops this spring.
The Ukrainian incursion drew scrutiny of border defense preparations.
Investigators said they later discovered alleged embezzlement of government funds that had been earmarked for the defenses, and the newspaper Kommersant reported that Starovoit may have been under investigation for large-scale fraud.
Two of Starovoit's deputies were arrested, and one of them, Aleksei Smirnov, reportedly was prepared to provide testimony incriminating Starovoit.
Aleksandr Baunov, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said Starovoit’s death could spread fear in high places.
A series of long prison sentences recently handed to former senior officials convicted of corruption could have led Starovoit to take his own life – or his death could have been ordered.
“Even if this remains an isolated case, it could become a watershed event for the ruling elite,” Baunov wrote in a post on Facebook.
Russia expert Andras Toth-Czifra wrote in a blog post that some versions of the event circulating were worrying to the Kremlin.
He said they implied that Putin was “a passive bystander in this case” or “reacted to developments instead of controlling or preempting them.”
Another Body
Adding further questions, another official employed by a Transport Ministry department regulating railway transport was also reported dead on the same day Starovoit’s body was found.
Andrei Korneichuk collapsed and died during a business meeting, Russian news reports said. Initial reports said he died of an apparent heart attack.
“It’s highly unlikely this was a coincidence,” said Preobrazhensky, pointing out that the two dead men had had a longstanding working relationship.
“He was sure Starovoit wouldn’t betray him under any circumstances...And then suddenly, it turns out that your 'protection' either shot himself — or was shot. Panic sets in, and that panic ends the way it ended,” he said.
