Kremlin Rocked As Ex-Minister Found Dead Hours Post-Firing/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Russia’s ex-transport minister Roman Starovoyt, 53, was found dead hours after President Putin abruptly fired him, in what officials suspect is suicide. Meanwhile, Russia launched over 100 drones at Ukraine overnight, killing civilians and escalating tensions. Ukraine seeks more Western support as drone warfare intensifies on both sides.
Quick Look
- Roman Starovoyt, Russia’s former transport minister, found dead after dismissal
- Russia launches 100+ drones into Ukraine, killing civilians
- Ukraine boosts drone production, appeals for Western military aid
Russia’s Ex-Transport Minister Found Dead After Sudden Firing Amid War Turmoil
Deep Look
Russia’s recently dismissed transport minister was found dead on Monday in what officials say appears to be a suicide, only hours after President Vladimir Putin removed him from office.
Roman Starovoyt, 53, who had held the role since May 2024, was fired earlier in the day by presidential decree, which gave no reason for his dismissal. His death came in the aftermath of a chaotic weekend that saw hundreds of flights canceled or delayed across Russia as airports shut down amid fears of Ukrainian drone strikes.
The Kremlin declined to comment on Starovoyt’s firing or death. Putin appointed Starovoyt’s deputy, Andrey Nikitin — a former governor of the Novgorod region — as acting transport minister.
A criminal probe was launched into the death, and investigators saw suicide as the most likely cause, according to committee’s spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko, who did not say when Starovoit died.
Russian media have reported that Starovoit’s dismissal could have been linked to an investigation into the embezzlement of state funds allocated for building fortifications in the Kursk region, where he served as governor before being appointed transportation minister.
The alleged embezzlement has been cited as one of the reasons for deficiencies in Russia’s defensive lines that failed to stem a surprise Ukrainian incursion in the region launched in August 2024. In the stunning attack, Ukraine’s battle-hardened mechanized units quickly overwhelmed lightly armed Russian border guards and inexperienced army conscripts. Hundreds were taken prisoner.
The incursion was a humiliating blow to the Kremlin — the first time the country’s territory was occupied by an invader since World War II. The Russian military had announced its troops had fully reclaimed the border territory in April — nearly nine months after losing chunks of the region.
Starovoit’s successor as Kursk governor, Alexei Smirnov, stepped down in December and was arrested on embezzlement charges in April. Some Russian media have alleged that Starovoit also could have faced charges as part of the investigation.
His dismissal also followed a weekend of travel chaos as Russian airports were forced to ground hundreds of flights due to Ukrainian drone attacks. Most commentators said, however, that the air traffic disruptions have become customary amid frequent Ukrainian drone raids and were unlikely to have triggered his dismissal.
An official order releasing Starovoit from his post was published on the Kremlin’s website Monday morning without giving a reason for his dismissal. Shortly before the news of Starovoit’s death broke, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on the reasons behind his dismissal. Peskov praised Starovoit’s replacement, Andrei Nikitin, who had been appointed deputy transport minister five months ago.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, the war’s devastation continued. At least 11 civilians were killed and more than 80 injured, including seven children, in Russian attacks over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said Monday.
Overnight, Russia launched more than 100 drones targeting civilian areas across Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that in the past week alone, Russia has fired about 1,270 drones, 39 missiles, and nearly 1,000 glide bombs into Ukrainian territory.
Russia’s larger military continues to press offensives along parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where Ukrainian forces remain heavily stretched.
Facing relentless attacks, Ukraine is urgently seeking more military assistance from the U.S. and Europe, especially after Washington paused some previously promised weapons shipments last week.
Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Ukraine has secured agreements with European allies and a major American defense company to expand drone production, ensuring Kyiv will receive “hundreds of thousands” of drones this year.
“Air defense is the main thing for protecting life,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Monday, emphasizing Ukraine’s plans to boost production of interceptor drones capable of shooting down Russia’s long-range Shahed drones.
Drones have become a critical tool for Ukraine, helping offset shortages in manpower at the front.
In Sunday night’s attacks, one person was killed in Odesa, while falling drone debris damaged parts of Kyiv and left 71 people injured in Kharkiv. In the Sumy region, Russian short-range drones killed two and wounded two more, officials said.
Additionally, seven people were killed and nine injured in the eastern Donetsk region, according to local authorities, though details on the weaponry used were not provided.
Russia’s military on Monday claimed it had shot down 91 Ukrainian drones across 13 regions of Russia, as well as over the Black Sea and Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.
Russian forces also continued targeting Ukrainian military recruitment centers on Monday for the third time in five days, reportedly aiming to disrupt Ukraine’s mobilization efforts.
Regional officials in Kharkiv and southern Zaporizhzhia reported at least 17 people injured in those attacks.
Starovoyt’s abrupt firing and death have added a layer of internal turmoil to Russia’s wartime challenges, coming as Moscow struggles to keep civilian infrastructure operating under the threat of Ukrainian drone strikes. Over the weekend, major airports in Moscow and St. Petersburg experienced significant flight disruptions, leaving thousands of travelers stranded.
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