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Russia Today
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Kremlin ‘shocked' by likely suicide of ex-minister
The Russian presidency has described the apparent suicide of recently fired Transport Minister Roman Starovoyt as 'shocking,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Peskov said that 'we have found this shocking too,' adding that the incident was immediately reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'This cannot but shock normal people,' Peskov stated. 'Of course, information of this kind is always tragic and sad.' The spokesman dismissed speculation that the minister was fired due to breach of trust, stressing that no such wording was used in a presidential decree on the matter. Peskov also warned against drawing any conclusions, stating that a probe into the incident was ongoing. Starovoyt's body was found beside the Tesla he had been driving near Malevich Park in the Moscow suburb of Odintsovo on Monday, hours after he was dismissed from his ministerial post. The ex-official reportedly took his own life by shooting himself in the head with a Makarov pistol, which he had previously been given as an award from the Interior Ministry. Before becoming transport minister, Starovoyt served as governor of Kursk Region, which was invaded by Ukraine last August. The region is currently being rocked by a major graft probe involving top officials suspected of embezzlement of funds allocated for border defense construction. Over 20 people have been detained in the probe, including Starovoyt's former deputy, Aleksey Dedov, and his successor, Aleksey Smirnov. The latter official held the post from May to December last year, with most of it in an interim role, becoming one of the most short-lived governors in modern Russian history. An RT source said an investigation against the ex-governor was about to begin over alleged embezzlement. Starovoyt was expected to be detained for questioning on Monday evening, the source claimed.
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
The minister, the general and the oil baron: All the mysterious deaths of Russian officials and businessmen
Roman Starovoit was found dead in his car just hours after it had been announced that Vladimir Putin had fired him as Russia's transport minister. While Russian authorities gave no reason for firing Starovoit, state media has suggested that his dismissal was linked to a corruption investigation. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Kremlin said that Starovoit, 53, had taken his own life and that Putin was 'shocked' by his death. Starovoit is among a number of state officials and prominent businessmen who have died in mysterious circumstances since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Putin's foes and critics have often met with violent deaths. Below, the Independent looks at the deaths of major public figures that have prompted speculation in Russia and abroad. Roman Starovoit Starovoit's body was found in the Odintsovo district of Moscow that is home to many members of Russia's elite, according to the Investigative Committee, the country's top criminal investigation agency. The agency said Starovoit's body was found in his car, but Russian media that carried images from the scene later reported that he was found dead in a small park next to a parking lot where he left his Tesla and a pistol presented to him as an official gift was at his side. Starovoit had served as Russia's transport minister since May 2024, but prior to this served as the governor of the Kursk region which was attacked by Ukrainian forces in August 2024. Kyiv's military success in the region has humiliated Russia. Russian media reported that Starovoit's dismissal and his death could have been linked to an investigation into the embezzlement of state funds allocated for building fortifications in Kursk, where he was governor for five years. Starovoit's successor as governor, Alexei Smirnov, stepped down in December and was arrested on embezzlement charges in April. The alleged embezzlement was cited as one reason behind the Russian military's failure to foresee Ukraine's surprise attack in August 2024. Starovoit's dismissal also followed a weekend of travel chaos in Russia as airports were struck by Ukrainian drones. Some commentators in Russia suggested that Starovoit's associates in higher echelons could have ordered his killing to avoid exposure, the Associated Press reported. Yevgeny Prigozhin Yevgeny Prigozhin soared to prominence in Russia as the founder of the Wagner Group mercenary force, whose fighters have played a significant role in the invasion of Ukraine. Formerly a close confidant of Putin, Prigozhin's downfall came exactly two months after he launched a brief rebellion against the Russian president using soldiers from Wagner. Russian state media reported that he died aged 62 on 23 August 2023 in a plane crash. The Embraer Legacy 600 business jet was travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg when it crashed and killed all 10 people on board. While the Kremlin denied any involvement in Prigozhin's death, western officials later suggested that he may have been killed. The Wall Street Journal later reported in December 2023 that Putin's oldest ally, Nikolai Patrushev, had ordered Prigohzin's assassination, citing western intelligence officials. Andrei Badalov Oil executive Andrei Badalov, 62, was found dead last Friday after falling from a height from his apartment on Rublevskoye Highway in Moscow. A source told the state-owned Tass news agency that the 'preliminary cause of death is suicide', adding that an investigation was underway. Badalov was vice president of Transneft, a state-controlled oil pipeline company based in Moscow. There have been a string of unexplained deaths of senior executives in Russia's energy sector since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, including four deaths in 2022 linked to the state energy giant Gazprom, according to the Moscow Times. Aleksey Avramenko Aleksey Avramenko, 46, was a Belarusian politician who served as minister of transport and communications from 2019 to 2023. He died suddenly on 4 July 2023, according to state news agency Belta, without a cause of death mentioned. The former minister, who served in the government of Putin ally Alexander Lukashenko, was placed under international sanctions after he illegally diverted a passenger flight to arrest an opposition journalist Roman Pratasevich in 2021. The Ryanair flight FR4978 had been due to fly from Greece to Lithuania, but landed in Minsk airport after Belarusian authorities claimed that a bomb threat was on board. The incident provoked outrage in Western countries. Natalia Larina Natalia Larina had only been retired for six months from her role as a judge in Moscow's Tagansky District Court before she was found dead in June last year. Larina, 50, who had been involved in a number of high-profile political cases, was found dead outside her apartment bock in south east Moscow. Russian media reported that she had left a note and listed a suspected suicide as a cause. Larina had worked as a judge for more than 15 years. She was involved in the trial of a Russian Transport Ministry official convicted raping his daughter in 2011, as well as the trial of opposition activist Pyotr Pavlensky, who set fire to the entrance of Russia's main intelligence agency headquarters. He was convicted of vandalism and fined 500,000 rubles (£4,700). Vladimir Sviridov Vladimir Sviridov, 68, was the former lieutenant-general of the 6th Air and Air Defence Forces Army. He was found dead in his home alongside his wife in November 2023. Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported they had been dead for around a week with 'no trace of violent death'. Instead, they said there had been a malfunction in the heating system following a power outage which led them to get carbon monoxide poisoning. On-site measurements did not reveal any carbon monoxide concentration limits being exceeded. The military chief had previously criticised Putin for allowing a 'third-ranking' air force, and warned that officers were leaving the Army due to poor pay and conditions.
Al Jazeera
08-07-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Russia probes ex-minister's death as body found hours after sacking
Russia's top criminal investigation agency is probing the death of Roman Starovoit, a former transport minister whose body was found with a gunshot wound near his car, hours after President Vladimir Putin dismissed him from his post. Authorities on Monday said the 53-year-old politician's body was discovered near a Tesla vehicle abandoned near a park in the Moscow region, with a pistol, registered in Starovoit's name, located nearby. The Investigative Committee has opened a case to determine the full circumstances of his death, suggesting it could be suicide. Russian media, citing law enforcement sources, said the gunshot appeared to be self-inflicted. However, the timing of the death has prompted speculation. Putin issued a decree earlier on Monday, removing Starovoit as transport minister, a role he had held for just more than a year. No explanation was provided. Political commentators quickly linked the decision to a long-running corruption investigation in the Kursk region, where Starovoit previously served as governor. The probe centres on whether 19.4 billion roubles ($246m) allocated in 2022 to bolster border defences in Kursk were embezzled. The funds were meant to reinforce Russia's frontier with Ukraine, but Ukrainian forces launched a cross-border assault into the region three months into Starovoit's ministerial term – the largest such incursion since World War II. In April, his successor and former deputy in Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, was charged with embezzling defence funds. Several Russian outlets reported on Monday that Smirnov, who denies wrongdoing, had told investigators Starovoit was also involved in the alleged fraud. The incident casts a shadow over Russia's transport sector, already grappling with wartime pressures. Western sanctions have left the aviation industry struggling for spare parts, while soaring interest rates have pushed Russian Railways – the country's largest employer – into financial strain. Meanwhile, Ukraine's drone attacks continue to disrupt domestic air traffic, forcing temporary airport closures and leading to logistical uncertainty. Following Starovoit's dismissal, the Kremlin announced that Andrei Nikitin, former governor of the Novgorod region, had been appointed as acting transport minister. Photographs released by state media showed him shaking hands with Putin. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin believed Nikitin had the necessary experience to steer the ministry through current challenges. At his meeting with the president, Nikitin pledged to modernise the sector by boosting digital infrastructure to improve cargo flows and cross-border trade.
CTV News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Russian minister dismissed by Putin found dead in apparent suicide
MOSCOW — Russian's transport minister was found dead from a gunshot wound in an apparent suicide, investigators said Monday — news that broke hours after the Kremlin announced he had been dismissed by President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin did not give a reason for the firing of Roman Starovoit, who served as transport minister since May 2024, and it was unclear when exactly he died and whether it was related to an investigation into alleged corruption, as some Russian media suggested. Russia's Investigative Committee, the top criminal investigation agency, said the body of Starovoit, 53, was found with a gunshot wound in his car parked in Odintsovo, a neighborhood just west of the capital where many members of Russia's elite live. A gun previously presented to him as an official gift was reportedly found next to his body. A criminal probe was launched into the death, and investigators saw suicide as the most likely cause, according to committee's spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko, who did not say when Starovoit died. Law enforcement agents were seen carrying Starovoit's body from the site Monday evening. Andrei Kartapolov, a former deputy defense minister who heads a defense committee in the lower house of parliament, told news outlet RTVI that Starovoit killed himself 'quite a while ago,' and some Russian media alleged that he may have taken his life before the publication of Putin's decree firing him. Starovoit was last seen in public Sunday morning, when an official video from the ministry's situation room featured him receiving reports from officials. Speculation swirls over reasons for Starovoit's dismissal Russian media have reported that Starovoit's dismissal could have been linked to an investigation into the embezzlement of state funds allocated for building fortifications in the Kursk region, where he served as governor before becoming transportation minister. The alleged embezzlement has been cited as one of the reasons for deficiencies in Russia's defensive lines that failed to stem a surprise Ukrainian incursion in the region launched in August 2024. In the stunning attack, Ukraine's battle-hardened mechanized units quickly overwhelmed lightly armed Russian border guards and inexperienced army conscripts. Hundreds were taken prisoner. The incursion was a humiliating blow to the Kremlin — the first time the country's territory was occupied by an invader since World War II. The Russian military had announced its troops had fully reclaimed the border territory in April — nearly nine months after losing chunks of the region. Starovoit's successor as Kursk governor, Alexei Smirnov, stepped down in December and was arrested on embezzlement charges in April. Some Russian media have alleged that Starovoit also could have faced charges as part of the investigation. His dismissal also followed a weekend of travel chaos as Russian airports were forced to ground hundreds of flights due to Ukrainian drone attacks. Most commentators said, however, that the air traffic disruptions have become customary amid frequent Ukrainian drone raids and were unlikely to have triggered his dismissal. Shortly after Putin's decree on Starovoit was published, Andrei Korneichuk, an official with a state railways agency under his ministry, collapsed and died during a business meeting, Russian news reports said. They said he died of an apparent heart attack. Other high-level corruption cases pressed An official order releasing Starovoit from his post was published on the Kremlin's website Monday morning without giving a reason for his dismissal. Shortly before the news of Starovoit's death broke, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised Starovoit's replacement, Andrei Nikitin, and refused to comment on the reasons behind the move. Russian authorities have investigated a slew of cases of high-level corruption that was widely blamed for military setbacks in Ukraine. On Monday, Khalil Arslanov, a former deputy chief of the military's General Staff, was convicted on corruption charges and sentenced to 17 years in prison. Arslanov is a former member of the military brass close to former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Several of them were targeted in a far-ranging probe into alleged military graft. Last week, Shoigu's former deputy, Timur Ivanov, was convicted on charges of embezzlement and money laundering and handed a 13-year prison sentence. Shoigu, a veteran official with personal ties to Putin, survived the purges of his inner circle and was given the high-profile post of secretary of Russia's Security Council. In another move Monday, the Investigative Committee announced the arrest of Viktor Strigunov, the former first deputy chief of the National Guard. It said Strigunov was charged with corruption and abuse of office. ------ Associated Press writer Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed. By Illia Novikov
CTV News
07-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Russia's transportation minister found dead in what officials say was an apparent suicide
MOSCOW — Russian's transport minister was found dead from a gunshot wound in an apparent suicide, investigators said Monday — news that broke hours after the Kremlin announced he had been dismissed by President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin did not give a reason for the firing of Roman Starovoit, who served as transport minister since May 2024, and it was unclear when exactly he died and whether it was related to an investigation into alleged corruption, as some Russian media suggested. Russia's Investigative Committee, the top criminal investigation agency, said the body of Starovoit, 53, was found with a gunshot wound in his car parked in Odintsovo, a neighborhood just west of the capital where many members of Russia's elite live. A gun previously presented to him as an official gift was reportedly found next to his body. A criminal probe was launched into the death, and investigators saw suicide as the most likely cause, according to committee's spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko, who did not say when Starovoit died. Law enforcement agents were seen carrying Starovoit's body from the site Monday evening. Andrei Kartapolov, a former deputy defense minister who heads a defense committee in the lower house of parliament, told news outlet RTVI that Starovoit killed himself 'quite a while ago,' and some Russian media alleged that he may have taken his life before the publication of Putin's decree firing him. Starovoit was last seen in public Sunday morning, when an official video from the ministry's situation room featured him receiving reports from officials. Speculation swirls over reasons for Starovoit's dismissal Russian media have reported that Starovoit's dismissal could have been linked to an investigation into the embezzlement of state funds allocated for building fortifications in the Kursk region, where he served as governor before becoming transportation minister. The alleged embezzlement has been cited as one of the reasons for deficiencies in Russia's defensive lines that failed to stem a surprise Ukrainian incursion in the region launched in August 2024. In the stunning attack, Ukraine's battle-hardened mechanized units quickly overwhelmed lightly armed Russian border guards and inexperienced army conscripts. Hundreds were taken prisoner. The incursion was a humiliating blow to the Kremlin — the first time the country's territory was occupied by an invader since World War II. The Russian military had announced its troops had fully reclaimed the border territory in April — nearly nine months after losing chunks of the region. Starovoit's successor as Kursk governor, Alexei Smirnov, stepped down in December and was arrested on embezzlement charges in April. Some Russian media have alleged that Starovoit also could have faced charges as part of the investigation. His dismissal also followed a weekend of travel chaos as Russian airports were forced to ground hundreds of flights due to Ukrainian drone attacks. Most commentators said, however, that the air traffic disruptions have become customary amid frequent Ukrainian drone raids and were unlikely to have triggered his dismissal. Shortly after Putin's decree on Starovoit was published, Andrei Korneichuk, an official with a state railways agency under his ministry, collapsed and died during a business meeting, Russian news reports said. They said he died of an apparent heart attack. Other high-level corruption cases pressed An official order releasing Starovoit from his post was published on the Kremlin's website Monday morning without giving a reason for his dismissal. Shortly before the news of Starovoit's death broke, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised Starovoit's replacement, Andrei Nikitin, and refused to comment on the reasons behind the move. Russian authorities have investigated a slew of cases of high-level corruption that was widely blamed for military setbacks in Ukraine. On Monday, Khalil Arslanov, a former deputy chief of the military's General Staff, was convicted on corruption charges and sentenced to 17 years in prison. Arslanov is a former member of the military brass close to former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Several of them were targeted in a far-ranging probe into alleged military graft. Last week, Shoigu's former deputy, Timur Ivanov, was convicted on charges of embezzlement and money laundering and handed a 13-year prison sentence. Shoigu, a veteran official with personal ties to Putin, survived the purges of his inner circle and was given the high-profile post of secretary of Russia's Security Council. In another move Monday, the Investigative Committee announced the arrest of Viktor Strigunov, the former first deputy chief of the National Guard. It said Strigunov was charged with corruption and abuse of office. ------ Associated Press writer Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed. By Illia Novikov
