Russia probes ex-minister’s death as body found hours after sacking

Roman Starovoit was recovered dormant adjacent his car successful the Moscow portion hours aft President Vladimir Putin dismissed him.

Russia’s apical transgression probe bureau is probing the decease of Roman Starovoit, a erstwhile transport curate whose assemblage was recovered with a gunshot coiled adjacent his car, hours aft President Vladimir Putin dismissed him from his post.

Authorities connected Monday said the 53-year-old politician’s assemblage was discovered adjacent a Tesla conveyance abandoned adjacent a parkland successful the Moscow region, with a pistol, registered successful Starovoit’s name, located nearby.

The Investigative Committee has opened a lawsuit to find the afloat circumstances of his death, suggesting it could beryllium suicide. Russian media, citing instrumentality enforcement sources, said the gunshot appeared to beryllium self-inflicted.

However, the timing of the decease has prompted speculation.

Putin issued a decree earlier connected Monday, removing Starovoit arsenic transport minister, a relation helium had held for conscionable much than a year. No mentation was provided.

Political commentators rapidly linked the determination to a long-running corruption probe successful the Kursk region, wherever Starovoit antecedently served arsenic governor.

The probe centres connected whether 19.4 cardinal roubles ($246m) allocated successful 2022 to bolster borderline defences successful Kursk were embezzled.

The funds were meant to reenforce Russia’s frontier with Ukraine, but Ukrainian forces launched a cross-border battle into the portion 3 months into Starovoit’s ministerial word – the largest specified incursion since World War II.

In April, his successor and erstwhile lawman successful Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, was charged with embezzling defence funds. Several Russian outlets reported connected Monday that Smirnov, who denies wrongdoing, had told investigators Starovoit was besides progressive successful the alleged fraud.

The incidental casts a shadiness implicit Russia’s transport sector, already grappling with wartime pressures.

Western sanctions person near the aviation manufacture struggling for spare parts, portion soaring involvement rates person pushed Russian Railways – the country’s largest leader – into fiscal strain.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s drone attacks proceed to disrupt domestic aerial traffic, forcing impermanent airdrome closures and starring to logistical uncertainty.

Following Starovoit’s dismissal, the Kremlin announced that Andrei Nikitin, erstwhile politician of the Novgorod region, had been appointed arsenic acting transport minister. Photographs released by authorities media showed him shaking hands with Putin.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin believed Nikitin had the indispensable acquisition to steer the ministry done existent challenges. At his gathering with the president, Nikitin pledged to modernise the assemblage by boosting integer infrastructure to amended cargo flows and cross-border trade.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies