Starvoite was fired by Putin on Monday morning. The order announced his dismissal was published on the official Kremlin website where his deputy Andrei Nikitin was appointed as representative minister.
Looking for the reasons behind Starvoite’s firing from reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied this was due to “lack of trust,” but he gave no reason to replace it.
The Russian commission on investigation said in a statement that Starvoid’s body was found in a car in Odyntsovo on the outskirts of Moscow. He was found with a gunshot wound, the committee said. The circumstances of his death were being investigated, but he said, “The main theory is suicide.”
Another Department of Transport official passed away Monday: Andrei Kolneiczk, 42, worked for a federal agency for rail transport. Russian state media reported that Kornecchik had probably died at work from “acute heart failure.” There are no indications that death is linked.
Before he became a pastor in May 2024, Starvoid was governor of the Kursk region of southern Russia. He left the post before the surprising invasion of Ukraine, but he was partially blamed for the failure of security in the Russian region.
Russian media reported on Monday that Starvoit was involved in an investigation into embezzlement of the national fund allocated to build fortresses in the area. The state’s television programmes Vesti, RBC, independent business media outlets in Russia, and the Russian business daily newspaper Kommersant, reported that he is being investigated. Kommersant said Starovoit is facing an arrest.
According to a Moscow court, Alexei Smirnov, the predecessor of the role of Governor Kursk, previously his representative, was arrested in the same case in April this year in the role of Kursk Gognledor, previously his representative.
The firing came amidst the chaos of a few days of air travel in Russia. According to the Russian Federation Air Transport Agency, flights 485 have been cancelled, flights 88 have been decoupled, and 1,900 have been delayed on weekends and Mondays.
The agency said the cancellations were “external interference” without providing details. However, the Russian Ministry of Defense said more than 400 Ukraine’s long-range strikes were intercepted during the same period.
Ukrainian forces said they attacked a chemical plant early on Monday at Krasnozavodsk, north of Moscow. The plant says it manufactures “fireworks devices and ammunition” drones “including Shahed-type thermal warheads.”
rhm/