
Sacked Russian transport minister found dead in his car
A presidential decree published earlier on Monday gave no reason for the dismissal of Roman Starovoit after barely a year in the job.
Political analysts were quick to raise the possibility that he may have been dismissed in connection with an investigation into corruption in the region he once ran.
Reuters could not independently confirm these suggestions, though a transport industry source, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Starovoit's position had been in question for months due to questions about the same corruption scandal, which centred on funds earmarked for fortifying Russia's border with Ukraine in the Kursk region.
There were conflicting reports about the timing of Starovoit's death.
The principal hypothesis is that he took his own life, state investigators said on Monday.
Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said that it was working to establish the precise circumstances.
Various Russian media cited law enforcement sources as saying a pistol belonging to Starovoit had been found alongside his body in his car.
Before being appointed transport minister in May 2024, Starovoit had been the governor of the Kursk region for nearly five years.
Three months after he became transport minister, Ukrainian troops crossed the border into Kursk in the biggest foreign incursion into Russian territory since the Second World War and were only pushed out earlier this year after fierce fighting and widespread destruction.
In April this year, Starovoit's successor as governor, Alexei Smirnov, was charged with embezzling money earmarked for defence purposes amid accusations that the funds for border defences had been stolen, leaving Kursk more vulnerable to Ukrainian attack.
Pressed earlier on Monday by reporters on whether his dismissal meant Putin had lost trust in Starovoit over Kursk, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "a loss of trust is mentioned if there is a loss of trust".
"There is no such wording in the (Kremlin) decree."
Starovoit's dismissal comes at a time of significant challenges for Russia's transport sector as the war in Ukraine drags on for a fourth year.
Russia's aviation sector is short of spare parts and Russian Railways, the country's largest employer, is grappling with soaring interest costs as high rates, needed to curb higher inflation exacerbated by the war, take their toll.
The Kremlin said Andrei Nikitin, a former governor of the Novgorod region, had been appointed acting transport minister and it published photographs of him shaking hands with Putin in the Kremlin.
Asked about Nikitin's swift appointment, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said: "At present, in the president's opinion, Andrei Nikitin's professional qualities and experience will best contribute to ensuring that this agency, which the president described as extremely important, fulfils its tasks and functions."
Two transport industry sources said plans to replace Starovoit with Nikitin had been in the works since before last month's International Economic Forum in St Petersburg.
The transport ministry declined to comment on Monday.
At his meeting with Putin, Nikitin spoke about working on the huge task of digitising Russia's transport industry in an effort to reduce cargo bottlenecks and ensure smoother cross-border flows of goods.
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Russia's sacked transport minister has been found dead in his car outside Moscow with a gunshot wound, hours after President Vladimir Putin fired him.
A presidential decree published earlier on Monday gave no reason for the dismissal of Roman Starovoit after barely a year in the job.
Political analysts were quick to raise the possibility that he may have been dismissed in connection with an investigation into corruption in the region he once ran.
Reuters could not independently confirm these suggestions, though a transport industry source, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Starovoit's position had been in question for months due to questions about the same corruption scandal, which centred on funds earmarked for fortifying Russia's border with Ukraine in the Kursk region.
There were conflicting reports about the timing of Starovoit's death.
The principal hypothesis is that he took his own life, state investigators said on Monday.
Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said that it was working to establish the precise circumstances.
Various Russian media cited law enforcement sources as saying a pistol belonging to Starovoit had been found alongside his body in his car.
Before being appointed transport minister in May 2024, Starovoit had been the governor of the Kursk region for nearly five years.
Three months after he became transport minister, Ukrainian troops crossed the border into Kursk in the biggest foreign incursion into Russian territory since the Second World War and were only pushed out earlier this year after fierce fighting and widespread destruction.
In April this year, Starovoit's successor as governor, Alexei Smirnov, was charged with embezzling money earmarked for defence purposes amid accusations that the funds for border defences had been stolen, leaving Kursk more vulnerable to Ukrainian attack.
Pressed earlier on Monday by reporters on whether his dismissal meant Putin had lost trust in Starovoit over Kursk, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "a loss of trust is mentioned if there is a loss of trust".
"There is no such wording in the (Kremlin) decree."
Starovoit's dismissal comes at a time of significant challenges for Russia's transport sector as the war in Ukraine drags on for a fourth year.
Russia's aviation sector is short of spare parts and Russian Railways, the country's largest employer, is grappling with soaring interest costs as high rates, needed to curb higher inflation exacerbated by the war, take their toll.
The Kremlin said Andrei Nikitin, a former governor of the Novgorod region, had been appointed acting transport minister and it published photographs of him shaking hands with Putin in the Kremlin.
Asked about Nikitin's swift appointment, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said: "At present, in the president's opinion, Andrei Nikitin's professional qualities and experience will best contribute to ensuring that this agency, which the president described as extremely important, fulfils its tasks and functions."
Two transport industry sources said plans to replace Starovoit with Nikitin had been in the works since before last month's International Economic Forum in St Petersburg.
The transport ministry declined to comment on Monday.
At his meeting with Putin, Nikitin spoke about working on the huge task of digitising Russia's transport industry in an effort to reduce cargo bottlenecks and ensure smoother cross-border flows of goods.
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Russia's sacked transport minister has been found dead in his car outside Moscow with a gunshot wound, hours after President Vladimir Putin fired him.
A presidential decree published earlier on Monday gave no reason for the dismissal of Roman Starovoit after barely a year in the job.
Political analysts were quick to raise the possibility that he may have been dismissed in connection with an investigation into corruption in the region he once ran.
Reuters could not independently confirm these suggestions, though a transport industry source, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Starovoit's position had been in question for months due to questions about the same corruption scandal, which centred on funds earmarked for fortifying Russia's border with Ukraine in the Kursk region.
There were conflicting reports about the timing of Starovoit's death.
The principal hypothesis is that he took his own life, state investigators said on Monday.
Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said that it was working to establish the precise circumstances.
Various Russian media cited law enforcement sources as saying a pistol belonging to Starovoit had been found alongside his body in his car.
Before being appointed transport minister in May 2024, Starovoit had been the governor of the Kursk region for nearly five years.
Three months after he became transport minister, Ukrainian troops crossed the border into Kursk in the biggest foreign incursion into Russian territory since the Second World War and were only pushed out earlier this year after fierce fighting and widespread destruction.
In April this year, Starovoit's successor as governor, Alexei Smirnov, was charged with embezzling money earmarked for defence purposes amid accusations that the funds for border defences had been stolen, leaving Kursk more vulnerable to Ukrainian attack.
Pressed earlier on Monday by reporters on whether his dismissal meant Putin had lost trust in Starovoit over Kursk, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "a loss of trust is mentioned if there is a loss of trust".
"There is no such wording in the (Kremlin) decree."
Starovoit's dismissal comes at a time of significant challenges for Russia's transport sector as the war in Ukraine drags on for a fourth year.
Russia's aviation sector is short of spare parts and Russian Railways, the country's largest employer, is grappling with soaring interest costs as high rates, needed to curb higher inflation exacerbated by the war, take their toll.
The Kremlin said Andrei Nikitin, a former governor of the Novgorod region, had been appointed acting transport minister and it published photographs of him shaking hands with Putin in the Kremlin.
Asked about Nikitin's swift appointment, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said: "At present, in the president's opinion, Andrei Nikitin's professional qualities and experience will best contribute to ensuring that this agency, which the president described as extremely important, fulfils its tasks and functions."
Two transport industry sources said plans to replace Starovoit with Nikitin had been in the works since before last month's International Economic Forum in St Petersburg.
The transport ministry declined to comment on Monday.
At his meeting with Putin, Nikitin spoke about working on the huge task of digitising Russia's transport industry in an effort to reduce cargo bottlenecks and ensure smoother cross-border flows of goods.
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Russia's sacked transport minister has been found dead in his car outside Moscow with a gunshot wound, hours after President Vladimir Putin fired him.
A presidential decree published earlier on Monday gave no reason for the dismissal of Roman Starovoit after barely a year in the job.
Political analysts were quick to raise the possibility that he may have been dismissed in connection with an investigation into corruption in the region he once ran.
Reuters could not independently confirm these suggestions, though a transport industry source, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Starovoit's position had been in question for months due to questions about the same corruption scandal, which centred on funds earmarked for fortifying Russia's border with Ukraine in the Kursk region.
There were conflicting reports about the timing of Starovoit's death.
The principal hypothesis is that he took his own life, state investigators said on Monday.
Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said that it was working to establish the precise circumstances.
Various Russian media cited law enforcement sources as saying a pistol belonging to Starovoit had been found alongside his body in his car.
Before being appointed transport minister in May 2024, Starovoit had been the governor of the Kursk region for nearly five years.
Three months after he became transport minister, Ukrainian troops crossed the border into Kursk in the biggest foreign incursion into Russian territory since the Second World War and were only pushed out earlier this year after fierce fighting and widespread destruction.
In April this year, Starovoit's successor as governor, Alexei Smirnov, was charged with embezzling money earmarked for defence purposes amid accusations that the funds for border defences had been stolen, leaving Kursk more vulnerable to Ukrainian attack.
Pressed earlier on Monday by reporters on whether his dismissal meant Putin had lost trust in Starovoit over Kursk, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "a loss of trust is mentioned if there is a loss of trust".
"There is no such wording in the (Kremlin) decree."
Starovoit's dismissal comes at a time of significant challenges for Russia's transport sector as the war in Ukraine drags on for a fourth year.
Russia's aviation sector is short of spare parts and Russian Railways, the country's largest employer, is grappling with soaring interest costs as high rates, needed to curb higher inflation exacerbated by the war, take their toll.
The Kremlin said Andrei Nikitin, a former governor of the Novgorod region, had been appointed acting transport minister and it published photographs of him shaking hands with Putin in the Kremlin.
Asked about Nikitin's swift appointment, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said: "At present, in the president's opinion, Andrei Nikitin's professional qualities and experience will best contribute to ensuring that this agency, which the president described as extremely important, fulfils its tasks and functions."
Two transport industry sources said plans to replace Starovoit with Nikitin had been in the works since before last month's International Economic Forum in St Petersburg.
The transport ministry declined to comment on Monday.
At his meeting with Putin, Nikitin spoke about working on the huge task of digitising Russia's transport industry in an effort to reduce cargo bottlenecks and ensure smoother cross-border flows of goods.
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Russia's Navy Day scaled-down after Ukraine attack
Vladimir Putin has visited his home city of St Petersburg to honour the Russian Navy despite the earlier cancellation of its naval parade due to security concerns, and the airport being forced to close after a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks on the city. St Petersburg usually holds a large-scale, televise parade on Navy Day, which features a flotilla of warships and military vessels sailing down the Neva River but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed this year's parade had been cancelled. "It has to do with the general situation. Security reasons are of utmost importance," Peskov said, according to Russian news agencies. Putin arrived at the city's historic naval headquarters on Sunday by patrol speed boat, from where he followed drills involving more than 150 vessels and 15,000 military personnel in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans and Baltic and Caspian Seas. "Today we are marking this holiday in a working setting, we are inspecting the combat readiness of the fleet," Putin said in a video address. The Russian Defence Ministry said air defence units downed a total of 291 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones on Sunday, below a record 524 drones downed in attacks on May 7, ahead of Russia's Victory Day parade on May 9. A man was killed and three other people were injured by drone fragments in the region around St Petersburg, according to local authorities. St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport was closed during the attack, with 57 flights delayed and 22 diverted to other airports, according to a statement. Pulkovo resumed operations later on Sunday. Russian blogger Alexander Yunashev, part of an official group of reporters travelling with Peskov, said Peskov had told him their flight from Moscow to St Petersburg had been delayed by the drone attack for two hours on Sunday. Russia continued to batter Ukraine with drone and missile strikes Sunday. In Sumy in Ukraine's northeast, a drone attack damaged civil infrastructure objects, an administrative building and non-residential premises, leaving three people wounded. Elsewhere in the region, two men died after being blown up by a landmine and another woman was injured from a drone attack on another community in the region, the regional military administration said. Separately, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to uphold independent anti-corruption bodies, with the Ukrainian leader signalling that supporting legislation could be adopted within days. "Ukraine has already achieved a lot on its European path. It must build on these solid foundations and preserve independent anti-corruption bodies, which are cornerstones of Ukraine's rule of law," von der Leyen said in a post on X after a call with Zelenskiy. After a rare outburst of public criticism, Zelenskiy on Thursday submitted draft legislation to restore the independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies - reversing course of an earlier bill aimed at stripping their autonomy. "I thanked the European Commission for the provided expertise," Zelenskiy said in a post on X after his call with von der Leyen. "We share the same vision: it is important that the bill is adopted without delay, as early as next week." Von der Leyen also promised continued support for Ukraine on its path to EU membership. "Ukraine can count on our support to deliver progress on its European path," she added. with AP and DPA Vladimir Putin has visited his home city of St Petersburg to honour the Russian Navy despite the earlier cancellation of its naval parade due to security concerns, and the airport being forced to close after a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks on the city. St Petersburg usually holds a large-scale, televise parade on Navy Day, which features a flotilla of warships and military vessels sailing down the Neva River but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed this year's parade had been cancelled. "It has to do with the general situation. Security reasons are of utmost importance," Peskov said, according to Russian news agencies. Putin arrived at the city's historic naval headquarters on Sunday by patrol speed boat, from where he followed drills involving more than 150 vessels and 15,000 military personnel in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans and Baltic and Caspian Seas. "Today we are marking this holiday in a working setting, we are inspecting the combat readiness of the fleet," Putin said in a video address. The Russian Defence Ministry said air defence units downed a total of 291 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones on Sunday, below a record 524 drones downed in attacks on May 7, ahead of Russia's Victory Day parade on May 9. A man was killed and three other people were injured by drone fragments in the region around St Petersburg, according to local authorities. St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport was closed during the attack, with 57 flights delayed and 22 diverted to other airports, according to a statement. Pulkovo resumed operations later on Sunday. Russian blogger Alexander Yunashev, part of an official group of reporters travelling with Peskov, said Peskov had told him their flight from Moscow to St Petersburg had been delayed by the drone attack for two hours on Sunday. Russia continued to batter Ukraine with drone and missile strikes Sunday. In Sumy in Ukraine's northeast, a drone attack damaged civil infrastructure objects, an administrative building and non-residential premises, leaving three people wounded. Elsewhere in the region, two men died after being blown up by a landmine and another woman was injured from a drone attack on another community in the region, the regional military administration said. Separately, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to uphold independent anti-corruption bodies, with the Ukrainian leader signalling that supporting legislation could be adopted within days. "Ukraine has already achieved a lot on its European path. It must build on these solid foundations and preserve independent anti-corruption bodies, which are cornerstones of Ukraine's rule of law," von der Leyen said in a post on X after a call with Zelenskiy. After a rare outburst of public criticism, Zelenskiy on Thursday submitted draft legislation to restore the independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies - reversing course of an earlier bill aimed at stripping their autonomy. "I thanked the European Commission for the provided expertise," Zelenskiy said in a post on X after his call with von der Leyen. "We share the same vision: it is important that the bill is adopted without delay, as early as next week." Von der Leyen also promised continued support for Ukraine on its path to EU membership. "Ukraine can count on our support to deliver progress on its European path," she added. with AP and DPA Vladimir Putin has visited his home city of St Petersburg to honour the Russian Navy despite the earlier cancellation of its naval parade due to security concerns, and the airport being forced to close after a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks on the city. St Petersburg usually holds a large-scale, televise parade on Navy Day, which features a flotilla of warships and military vessels sailing down the Neva River but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed this year's parade had been cancelled. "It has to do with the general situation. Security reasons are of utmost importance," Peskov said, according to Russian news agencies. Putin arrived at the city's historic naval headquarters on Sunday by patrol speed boat, from where he followed drills involving more than 150 vessels and 15,000 military personnel in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans and Baltic and Caspian Seas. "Today we are marking this holiday in a working setting, we are inspecting the combat readiness of the fleet," Putin said in a video address. The Russian Defence Ministry said air defence units downed a total of 291 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones on Sunday, below a record 524 drones downed in attacks on May 7, ahead of Russia's Victory Day parade on May 9. A man was killed and three other people were injured by drone fragments in the region around St Petersburg, according to local authorities. St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport was closed during the attack, with 57 flights delayed and 22 diverted to other airports, according to a statement. Pulkovo resumed operations later on Sunday. Russian blogger Alexander Yunashev, part of an official group of reporters travelling with Peskov, said Peskov had told him their flight from Moscow to St Petersburg had been delayed by the drone attack for two hours on Sunday. Russia continued to batter Ukraine with drone and missile strikes Sunday. In Sumy in Ukraine's northeast, a drone attack damaged civil infrastructure objects, an administrative building and non-residential premises, leaving three people wounded. Elsewhere in the region, two men died after being blown up by a landmine and another woman was injured from a drone attack on another community in the region, the regional military administration said. Separately, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to uphold independent anti-corruption bodies, with the Ukrainian leader signalling that supporting legislation could be adopted within days. "Ukraine has already achieved a lot on its European path. It must build on these solid foundations and preserve independent anti-corruption bodies, which are cornerstones of Ukraine's rule of law," von der Leyen said in a post on X after a call with Zelenskiy. After a rare outburst of public criticism, Zelenskiy on Thursday submitted draft legislation to restore the independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies - reversing course of an earlier bill aimed at stripping their autonomy. "I thanked the European Commission for the provided expertise," Zelenskiy said in a post on X after his call with von der Leyen. "We share the same vision: it is important that the bill is adopted without delay, as early as next week." Von der Leyen also promised continued support for Ukraine on its path to EU membership. "Ukraine can count on our support to deliver progress on its European path," she added. with AP and DPA Vladimir Putin has visited his home city of St Petersburg to honour the Russian Navy despite the earlier cancellation of its naval parade due to security concerns, and the airport being forced to close after a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks on the city. St Petersburg usually holds a large-scale, televise parade on Navy Day, which features a flotilla of warships and military vessels sailing down the Neva River but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed this year's parade had been cancelled. "It has to do with the general situation. Security reasons are of utmost importance," Peskov said, according to Russian news agencies. Putin arrived at the city's historic naval headquarters on Sunday by patrol speed boat, from where he followed drills involving more than 150 vessels and 15,000 military personnel in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans and Baltic and Caspian Seas. "Today we are marking this holiday in a working setting, we are inspecting the combat readiness of the fleet," Putin said in a video address. The Russian Defence Ministry said air defence units downed a total of 291 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones on Sunday, below a record 524 drones downed in attacks on May 7, ahead of Russia's Victory Day parade on May 9. A man was killed and three other people were injured by drone fragments in the region around St Petersburg, according to local authorities. St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport was closed during the attack, with 57 flights delayed and 22 diverted to other airports, according to a statement. Pulkovo resumed operations later on Sunday. Russian blogger Alexander Yunashev, part of an official group of reporters travelling with Peskov, said Peskov had told him their flight from Moscow to St Petersburg had been delayed by the drone attack for two hours on Sunday. Russia continued to batter Ukraine with drone and missile strikes Sunday. In Sumy in Ukraine's northeast, a drone attack damaged civil infrastructure objects, an administrative building and non-residential premises, leaving three people wounded. Elsewhere in the region, two men died after being blown up by a landmine and another woman was injured from a drone attack on another community in the region, the regional military administration said. Separately, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to uphold independent anti-corruption bodies, with the Ukrainian leader signalling that supporting legislation could be adopted within days. "Ukraine has already achieved a lot on its European path. It must build on these solid foundations and preserve independent anti-corruption bodies, which are cornerstones of Ukraine's rule of law," von der Leyen said in a post on X after a call with Zelenskiy. After a rare outburst of public criticism, Zelenskiy on Thursday submitted draft legislation to restore the independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies - reversing course of an earlier bill aimed at stripping their autonomy. "I thanked the European Commission for the provided expertise," Zelenskiy said in a post on X after his call with von der Leyen. "We share the same vision: it is important that the bill is adopted without delay, as early as next week." Von der Leyen also promised continued support for Ukraine on its path to EU membership. "Ukraine can count on our support to deliver progress on its European path," she added. with AP and DPA

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- Sydney Morning Herald
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The Age
5 hours ago
- The Age
EU and US agree trade deal with 15% tariffs for European exports
Frankfurt: The European Union has ended months of dispute with US President Donald Trump by accepting a deal that imposes 15 per cent tariffs on billions of dollars in exports, submitting to the terms out of concern he might otherwise punish Europe with higher penalties. The outcome appears set to lift prices for American consumers and hurt sales for European exporters, in the latest example of global brinksmanship as Trump forces tariffs on major economies in the hope of raising huge sums of revenue for the US government. In a surprise addition to the deal, the EU agreed to buy energy worth $US750 billion from the US over the years ahead – part of the bloc's broader objective of reducing reliance on Russian gas. Trump said the EU would also invest $US600 billion more in the US economy, echoing a vague investment pledge in a trade deal with Japan last week. The deal was unveiled in Scotland on Sunday during Trump's visit to his golf estates, as hundreds of protesters gathered to object to his visit, while supporters chanted his name outside some of his events. 'I think this is the biggest deal ever made,' Trump told reporters after he emerged from talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. European industries were divided on the trade dispute over recent weeks, with German car makers anxious to gain a deal because of the threat to their sales from even higher tariffs, while French industry canvassed retaliation against US demands. Von der Leyen confirmed the 15 per cent tariff applied 'across the board' and framed the outcome as a win for stability. 'We have a trade deal between the two largest economies in the world, and it's a big deal,' she said.