Mon Jul 07 16:33:46 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the information, written in a straightforward, journalistic style:

**Former Russian Transport Minister Found Dead Amid Embezzlement Allegations**

**Moscow -** Roman Starovoit, the recently dismissed Russian Transport Minister, was found dead on Monday, July 7, 2025, in what investigators are calling an apparent suicide. His body was discovered in his car in Odintsovo, an elite neighborhood outside Moscow, with a gunshot wound and a gift-presented gun nearby.

Starovoit’s death comes just hours after the Kremlin announced his dismissal from his position, a move for which no official reason was given. He had served as Transport Minister since May 2024.

While the Kremlin has remained silent on the reason for the dismissal, Russian media outlets have speculated that it may be linked to an investigation into the alleged embezzlement of state funds earmarked for the construction of fortifications in the Kursk region. Starovoit previously served as governor of Kursk before becoming Transport Minister. Deficiencies in these defensive lines were cited as a contributing factor to a Ukrainian incursion into the region in August 2024, a humiliating event for the Kremlin.

Adding to the intrigue, Starovoit’s successor as Kursk governor was arrested on embezzlement charges in April. Some Russian media suggest that Starovoit himself may have been facing potential charges as part of the same investigation.

His firing also came on the heels of widespread flight disruptions across the country due to Ukrainian drone attacks.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the reasons for Starovoit’s dismissal, only praising his replacement, Andrei Nikitin, who had been appointed deputy Transport Minister five months ago.

An official criminal probe has been launched into Starovoit’s death.

*Note: This article is a summary and does not include the helpline information.*

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