"It didn't have to end in this tragic outcome." Why did the dismissed Starovoit commit suicide

Dmitry Solonikov: This decision indicates that the person made a miscalculation about the situation

Author: Mikhail Zubov

Photo: Roman Starovoit, Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, attended a meeting at the Kremlin on June 30, 2025.

This article's commentator:

Dmitry Solonikov

Former transport minister Roman Starovoit committed suicide in his car just hours after being announced as dismissed.

On July 7, news of Starovoit's dismissal was released. In the president's brief instruction regarding his dismissal, there was no explanation such as "due to..." and it simply stated "removal from office."

Analysts quickly linked the head of state's decision to the paralysis of two capital airports over the weekend. And shortly after his dismissal, news of Starovoit's suicide emerged.

The body of the recently dismissed minister was found in his private car in Odintsovo with gunshot wounds. The Russian Federal Investigative Committee stated that the main suspicion is suicide.

That morning, Andrei Nikitin, the former governor of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, was appointed as the new head of the Ministry of Transport. He had been transferred to the position of Deputy Minister in February. At that time, Nikitin's transfer from the governor's position to the deputy minister's role appeared to be a demotion.

Photo: Olga Chikalova, daughter of Soviet Hero pilot Valery Chkalov, Roman Starovoit, Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation (third from right), and Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Gleb Nikitin (second from right) attend the unveiling ceremony of the Valery Chkalov monument in Moscow's Khotyn Square, 2024.

Although not the main reason, Starovoit's dismissal seems to be related to serious chaos in air transport.

Since July 5, 264 flights were canceled at Pulkovo and Sheremetyevo airports, and more than 250 flights were canceled in other parts of the country.

Waiting halls were as crowded as buses during peak hours, and passengers were not informed whether their flights would take off or when they would depart. All of this could be blamed on this minister.

"A total of 1,900 incoming and outgoing flights were delayed, and 43,000 forced refunds were processed," said Artyom Korneyko, press secretary of the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency.

Another possible reason for the dismissal relates to Starovoit's work before entering the government.

Before being appointed Minister of Transport in May 2024, Roman Starovoit served as the governor of Kursk Oblast, and previously he had been in charge of the Russian Federal Road Administration.

Two and a half months after Starovoit was transferred to the federal government, on August 6, Ukrainian forces attacked into Kursk Oblast. They easily broke through the border defenses, an event that triggered an investigation.

Subsequently, a case of fraud (Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code) was opened.

From the indictment by the General Prosecutor's Office, it is known that between 2022 and 2023, the federal budget allocated 19.4 billion rubles to the Kursk Oblast government for the construction of defense facilities (bunkers, firing positions, strongpoints, anti-tank cones, and trenches).

The defendant created the illusion that the defense facility construction projects were completed and implemented a false expenditure plan by signing fake material supply contracts with shell companies.

Dmitry Solonikov, director of the Institute of Modern State Development, told "Free News" about the reasons that may have led to Starovoit's tragic end:

-- I think the way things have developed is very strange. Everyone knew about the problems in Kursk Oblast, and also knew that Starovoit might face some inquiries. This former governor could not have failed to see the large-scale purges taking place in Kursk Oblast, nor could he have been unaware that his deputies were being arrested.

He could not have failed to notice that those closest to him were providing confessions. Didn't he realize what these confessions would involve, who they would implicate?

After Nikitin was appointed as deputy minister in February, it was clear that this appointment was intended to replace Starovoit. Giving Nikitin a few months to get familiar with the job, he would then take over as minister. I had previously made such a prediction, and it turned out to be true.

Why didn't Starovoit choose another approach, but rather waited until the day of his dismissal to end his life... I think, given the direction of events, he should have solved this problem in another way and made more appropriate decisions.

"Free News": Why did he behave like this? What could be the reasons?

-- Sometimes, people make promises to someone to "solve the issue" or "sort things out." He hoped for some guarantees and tried to negotiate. But in the end, he found out, as a famous movie said, that no one can be trusted.

Starovoit's reaction was not rational, which indicates that he made a miscalculation about the situation.

"Free News": It's obvious what he was expecting. Then, why didn't the prime minister or the vice premier responsible for transport resolve this situation in advance?

-- Appointing Nikitin was a signal for the prime minister that the minister was about to change. Everyone must have noticed this. And Starovoit himself should have taken active measures to solve his fate in a more favorable way, Solonikov concluded.

The last time a high-ranking government official committed suicide was in 1991, namely Boris Pugo, the Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR and a member of the State Committee of the USSR for the State of Emergency.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7524537287992967721/

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