Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit, who was fired yesterday and found dead with a gunshot wound in a park near Moscow hours after being sacked, was under investigation for embezzling funds allocated to strengthen the border with Ukraine, Reuters reported.
Yesterday morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin fired Starovoit and appointed his deputy in his place. Hours later, the dismissed transport minister was found dead, investigators said.
Starovoit's dismissal had been planned for some time after he was suspected of being involved in the embezzlement of funds intended to strengthen the defense of the Kursk region, Reuters noted, citing Russian officials.
The Kremlin said it was shocked by his death but declined to announce the reasons for his removal from office.
Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers invaded the Russian border into the Kursk region in August 2024. - the largest incursion of foreign troops into Russian territory since World War II, a major embarrassment for the Russian military, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian forces were pushed back only this year, but parts of the region were devastated, and Russia says tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers were killed and wounded in the fighting. Moscow has not disclosed its own losses, but Kiev has said they were heavy.
Russian media group RBC reported that law enforcement agencies in Russia were investigating whether Starovoit was involved in the embezzlement of funds in the Kursk region.
Another Russian newspaper, "Kommersant", added that those accused in the case had testified against Starovoit.
In December, Russia's state prosecutor's office said it had uncovered embezzlement, including overpayments for construction, of about 19.4 billion rubles ($248 million) of state spending intended for strengthening the border in the Kursk region.
The work to strengthen the border began when Starovoit was the governor of the region.
The Russian prosecutor's office also reported that the work was not completed on time and at least 3.2 billion rubles ($41 million) are missing.