Russian ex-minister kills self hours after being fired by Putin

Russia's former transport minister Roman Starovoit killed himself on Monday hours after being dismissed by President Vladimir Putin, Russian news agencies reported.

- Agencies

The Kremlin did not give a reason for the firing of Starovoit, who served as transport minister since May 2024, and it was unclear when exactly he died and whether it was related to an alleged embezzlement case, 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 neighbourhood just west of the capital where members of Russia's elite live. A gun previously presented to him as an official gift was 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.