Roman Starovoit, who was found dead hours after President Vladimir Putin sacked him as Russia’s transport minister, was buried in a St. Petersburg cemetery amid continued questions about the circumstances surrounding his death.
Starovoit’s body was found not far from his Tesla in a parking lot in the Moscow suburb of Odintsovo on July 7. Investigators said suicide is the leading theory for his death.
However, reports -- including from Forbes Russia as well as a prominent Russian lawmaker-– have highlighted discrepancies in the timeline and circumstances surrounding his death.
St. Petersburg’s governor and other top government officials joined scores of mourners in attending the burial on July 11. A farewell ceremony held in Moscow a day earlier was attended by relatives and other top government officials.
Starovoit’s death has drawn intense interest among Russia’s political elite and outside observers, some who argue it is a watershed moment for Putin’s government – 41 months into the all-out Ukraine war and 25 years with Putin as Russia’s preeminent political figure.
The Kremlin has not provided any public explanation why Starovoit was sacked on July 7. Also notable is the fact that Putin has yet to express any public condolences or send an official commemorative wreath, which would be customary gestures in such a situation.
Putin did not attend the farewell ceremony -- his spokesman said it was not on his "work schedule" -- nor the funeral.
Before becoming transport minister, Roman Starovoit served as governor of the Kursk border region.
The newspaper Kommersant reported that on July 7, prior to the public announcement that he was being fired, Starovoit met with co-workers. After, he discussed the firing with one of his deputies, who, Kommersant said, stated it “does not contain anything terrible.”
Not long after, the paper said, Starovoit wrote a note to a group chat with co-workers, in which he said “it was an honor”—apparently referring to his time as transport minister.
Before joining Putin’s Cabinet in May 2024, Starovoit was governor of Kursk, the southwestern border region that was invaded by Ukrainian forces that August.
The incursion embarrassed the Kremlin: it was the first time foreign troops had attacked and occupied Russian territory since World War II. Russian commanders ultimately enlisted some 11,000 North Korean troops and spent seven months pushing Ukrainian troops out.
Before the invasion, there had been questions about the preparation of border defenses, and suspicions that public funds earmarked for the effort had been misspent or embezzled.
In December 2024, Kursk’s then governor, Aleksei Smirnov, resigned. Smirnov worked as a deputy governor under Starovoit. In April, Smirnov was detained. Reportedly he has given testimony implicating Starovoit in the scheme.