Russian minister dies by suicide hours after Putin fired him
What's the story
Roman Starovoit, the former Russian transport minister, reportedly died by suicide on Monday. He was found dead with a gunshot wound in his car. His death came just hours after he was dismissed from his post by President Vladimir Putin. On Monday morning, the Kremlin published a decree announcing his dismissal on its official website and appointing Andrey Nikitin as the acting minister. Before his appointment as transport minister in May 2024, Starovoit was the governor of Kursk.
Dismissal reasons
Kremlin denies 'lack of trust' as reason for dismissal
The Kremlin provided no official explanation for Starovoit's firing while also dismissing the claims that Starovoit's dismissal was due to a "lack of trust." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry 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, fulfills its tasks and functions."
Travel chaos
Major disruption in Russian air travel
The dismissal, however, comes after a major disruption in Russian air travel due to Ukrainian drone attacks. Over the weekend, 485 flights were canceled, 88 diverted, and 1,900 delayed. The Russian Federal Agency for Air Transport attributed these cancellations to "external interference," without providing details. In response to the disruptions, airlines issued 43,000 forced ticket refunds and accommodated thousands of passengers in hotels.