Roman Starovoit, Russia’s former minister of transport and ex-governor of the Kursk region, has been found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Investigative Committee of Russia confirmed on Monday.
The death was announced just hours after President Vladimir Putin dismissed Starovoit from his ministerial post without providing a reason. Andrei Nikitin, a deputy transport minister, was named as his replacement shortly after the decree was issued, reports agencies.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Starovoit’s death. The exact time of his passing remains unclear, though Andrei Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Defence Committee, told Russian outlet RTVI that the death occurred “quite a while ago.”
Starovoit had been appointed transport minister in May 2024, following nearly six years as governor of the western Kursk region. His tenure as governor ended just as Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border offensive in August 2024, temporarily seizing parts of the region. Although Russian forces recently reclaimed much of the area, Kyiv claimed in late June that it continued to hold a small stretch of territory inside Russia.
Starovoit’s successor in Kursk, Aleksey Smirnov, served only briefly before being arrested in April 2025 on charges of embezzling government funds meant for border fortifications. According to Russian daily Kommersant, investigators were preparing to name Starovoit as a defendant in the same corruption case.
Earlier on Monday, prior to the news of Starovoit’s death, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was asked whether the dismissal indicated a loss of trust from President Putin.
“A loss of trust is mentioned if there is a loss of trust. Such wording was not used [in the Kremlin decree],” Peskov replied.
The Investigative Committee said “probe into the death is ongoing”.