End of the term. Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit dies by suicide after his dismissal

Roman Starovoit, 53, who was dismissed as Russia’s Minister of Transport by Vladimir Putin’s decree on July 7, has died by suicide, the Investigative Committee has officially confirmed.

In a statement, the committee said Starovoit’s body was found with a gunshot wound in his personal vehicle in the Odintsovo district of Moscow region. The committee’s spokesperson, Svetlana Petrenko, added that the primary theory is suicide.

The first reports of Starovoit’s death appeared on Telegram, via multiple channels with known links to Russian security services, including Mash, Baza, and Shot. Baza reported that a pistol was found at the scene near his Tesla car; Mash added that the weapon was a Makarov gun awarded to Starovoit in October 2023 by the Kursk regional police chief for his assistance.

Immediately following the confirmation of his death, multiple outlets reported that Starovoit was a subject of interest in a major criminal investigation. The central allegation by Telegram channels is that he had been implicated in testimony given by Alexei Smirnov, his former deputy and successor as governor of the Kursk region. 

Smirnov was arrested in April 2025 on charges of large-scale, organised fraud. The case involves the alleged embezzlement of at least one billion rubles (over $12.7 million) during the construction of defensive fortifications along the region’s border with Ukraine. A source confirmed to RBC that Starovoit was under official review for his possible involvement in this scheme, which occurred during his governorship. The business newspaper Kommersant went further, reporting that Starovoit was expected to be detained for questioning by investigators.

The exact timeline of Starovoit’s death remains unclear. Telegram channels with security service sources claimed the suicide happened on the morning of July 7, after the Transport Minister learned of his dismissal and held a final meeting at the ministry. However, other sources, including one cited by Forbes Russia, claimed he had been dead for over a day, likely since the night of July 5-6. RBC news holding reported that his body was discovered on July 5, two full days before his dismissal was officially announced by the Kremlin. 

A career official, Roman Starovoit headed Russia’s Federal Road Agency (Rosavtodor) before being appointed governor of his native Kursk region in 2018. He oversaw the region’s transformation into a frontline territory following the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. For his role in supporting the war, he was placed under international sanctions by the U.S., U.K., Canada and other countries. He was promoted from governor to the federal post of Minister of Transport in May 2024. 

Starovoit’s deputy, Alexei Smirnov, succeeded him as Kursk governor. His tenure, however, was brief. After a major Ukrainian military incursion into the Kursk region that started in August 2024, Putin accepted Smirnov’s resignation “at his own request” in December 2024. Smirnov was arrested in April 2025.