According to the Russian Investigative Committee on the 7th, the Russian Transport Minister Starovoit, who was dismissed earlier that day, has died.
The spokesperson for the Russian Investigative Committee, Petrenko, issued a statement saying that Starovoit's body was found on the 7th inside a private car in Moscow Oblast, with gunshot wounds. The local investigative department is conducting an investigation and preliminarily suspects suicide.
According to the Kremlin's website, Russian President Putin signed an order on the 7th dismissing Starovoit from his position as Transport Minister, with no explanation for the dismissal given in the decree. RIA Novosti quoted presidential press secretary Peskov as saying that the presidential order removing Starovoit from office did not include the phrase "loss of trust."
Starovoit was appointed Transport Minister in May 2024. Prior to that, he served as Governor of Kursk Oblast for nearly five years.
According to reports, in 2022 the Russian government allocated approximately 19.4 billion rubles (about 1.043 billion ringgit) to strengthen border facilities in areas adjacent to Ukraine. However, the use of these funds has been controversial, with some reports suspecting embezzlement or misappropriation.
In April this year, Starovoit's former deputy and former governor of Kursk Oblast, Smirnov, was prosecuted on charges of misappropriating funds originally intended for border construction. This case has further intensified suspicions regarding whether Starovoit himself was involved.