Russian politician Roman Starovoyt was found dead with a gunshot wound in the Moscow region, Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed, hours after Starovoyt was dismissed as transport minister.
Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said an investigation was underway to determine the circumstances of the former minister’s death.
Petrenko said on Telegram that Starovoyt was found dead in his car with a gunshot wound.
“The main version is suicide,” Petrenko said.
Citing emergency services, Russian state media, including the RIA news agency, had earlier reported that Starovoyt had committed suicide in the city of Odintsovo in the Moscow region.
Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree dismissing Starovoyt, who was appointed to the post in May 2024 after serving as governor of Russia’s border region of Kursk since September 2019.
Putin later signed another decree appointing Andrei Nikitin, who had previously held the position of deputy minister, as acting transport minister.
