According to the Russian Investigation Committee, former Russian Minister of Transport, Lowmaster Voight, was found to be dead from a gunshot wound that was apparently self-harmed.
He was fired on Monday by President Vladimir Putin.
No reason for Starovoit’s firing was given and Deputy Minister Andrei Nikitin was announced as his successor.
The investigation committee said it was working to establish the situation in the case.
Starovoit was appointed Minister of Transport in May 2024.
Before becoming Minister of Transport, Starvoid served as governor of the Kursk region for almost nine years until May 2024.
The area was partially seized in August 2024 in a surprising attack by Ukrainian forces. Moscow was able to drive out Ukrainian troops, but in late June Kiev said it still held small territory within Russia.
Starovoit’s successor, Aleksey Smirnov, has been only at the post office for a while. He was arrested in April and later charged with embezzlement funds allocated for the construction of a fortress on the border with Ukraine.
According to Russian outlet Komarsanto, Starvoit was about to be taken as a defendant in the same case.
It is unknown exactly when Starvoite died.
Andrei Kartapolov, head of the state’s Duma defense committee, told Russian outlet RTVI that his death occurred “a long ago.”
Earlier on Monday before the announcement of Starvowite’s death, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was pressed by reporters on whether the termination meant Putin lost faith in Starvowite in the Kursk event.
“If there is a loss of trust, then a loss of trust is mentioned. Such language was not used [in the Kremlin decree]”Peskov answered.
