,,,Tragedy Strikes: Russia's Ex-Transport Minister Roman Starovoit Found Dead After Putin Sacking ๐ท๐บ๐ฅ๐
In a stunning turn of events that has sent shockwaves through Russia's political elite, Roman Starovoit, who had just been dismissed as the country's transport minister by President Vladimir Putin, was found dead in his private car with gunshot injuries. The grim discovery was made in the village of Myakinino, in the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region. ๐
The Russian Investigative Committee has launched an inquiry, with "suicide" being cited as the most likely cause of death. A firearm, reportedly one awarded to Starovoit in 2023 by the internal affairs ministry, was found near his body. ๐ซ
Starovoit's dismissal by a presidential decree, for which no official reason was given, came just hours before news of his death broke. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the sacking was "not linked to a loss of trust," a comment that has done little to quell widespread speculation. ๐ค
His removal from office followed a weekend of significant travel chaos, with hundreds of flights at Moscow's Sheremetyevo and St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airports facing cancellations and severe delays. This disruption was reportedly due to Ukrainian drone attacks, which have increasingly targeted Russian infrastructure. โ๏ธ๐ฌ
However, some reports from Russian media outlets have also linked Starovoit's dismissal to an ongoing corruption investigation in the Kursk region, where he served as governor before becoming transport minister in May 2024. His successor in Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, was reportedly arrested on embezzlement charges in April, adding another layer of complexity to this unfolding tragedy. ๐
The sudden death of a high-ranking official, particularly one recently sacked, inevitably sparks questions and fuels various theories, especially given the history of mysterious deaths among Russian public figures. While authorities quickly pointed to suicide, the timing and circumstances are likely to keep international observers and the public questioning the full picture. ๐๏ธ