A Sacked Russian Transport Minister, A Body In A Moscow Suburb, A Growing List Of Suspicious Deaths

Hours after being sacked by President Vladimir Putin as Russia’s transport minister, Roman Starovoit was found in his Tesla, parked in a Moscow suburb, dead from a gunshot wound, investigators said.

Suicide was the most likely explanation for Starovoit’s death, officials said.

Russia being Russia, however, untimely deaths are almost always fodder for rampant speculation, with suggestions of foul play.

Two of Starovoit’s deputies, from when he served as governor of the Kursk region, bordering Ukraine, have been implicated in embezzlement of budget funds earmarked for border defenses. Ukrainian troops quickly overran the border in August 2024 when they invaded Kursk, embarrassing the Kremlin.

Still, it is exceedingly rare for topmost Russian government officials to commit suicide, even if they might be ensnared in scandal.

Here’s a look at just a few of the untimely, eyebrow-raising deaths of high-level Russian officials– and executives of energy industry companies — that have grabbed attention in recent years./Rferl/