Russian ex-minister found dead hours after being sacked by Putin

A former Russian transport minister has been found dead with a gunshot wound in his car just hours after it was revealed he had been sacked from his role.

Roman Starovoit, the ex-governor of the Kursk region, is reported to have taken his own life. The 53-year-old's death comes after he was dismissed from his transport position by President Vladimir Putin.

In a statement, Russia's Investigative Committee, the top criminal investigation agency, said Mr Starovoit's body was discovered in his vehicle parked in Odintsovo, a neighbourhood west of Moscow where members of the country's elite live. The circumstances surrounding Mr Starovoit's death are being investigated, with the statement adding: "The main version is suicide." A gun previously presented to him as an official gift was reportedly found next to his body.

Earlier on Monday, it was revealed Mr Putin had sacked Mr Starovoit after just over a year in the job. Mr Starovoit was appointed transport minister in May 2024 after spending almost five years as governor of the Kursk region bordering Ukraine.

His dismissal by Mr Putin could be linked to an investigation into the embezzlement of state funds allocated for building fortifications in the region, according to reports in the Russian media. A few months after he left his role as governor, Ukrainian troops crossed over the border into Kursk as Kyiv launched the biggest foreign incursion into Russian territory since the Second World War.

The alleged embezzlement has been cited as one of the reasons for deficiencies in Russia's defensive lines that failed to stem the August 2024 incursion. Ukrainian forces were pushed out of Kursk earlier this year.

In April, Mr Starovoit's successor as governor, Alexei Smirnov, was charged with embezzling money earmarked for defence purposes. Read more from Sky News:The ordeal of Russian soldiers forced to flee Putin's armyPutin tells Trump he will not back down from goals in Ukraine Andrei Nikitin, a former governor of the Novgorod region, has been appointed acting transport minister.

When earlier asked about Mr Starovoit's sudden departure, 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, fulfils its tasks and functions.".