A Russian minister killed himself just hours after being sacked by President Vladimir Putin, according to the Kremlin.
Roman Starovoit was reportedly found dead on Monday morning with a “gunshot wound” near the capital Moscow.
The country’s Investigative Committee claimed a firearm was recovered next to Starovoit's body in his home village of Myakinino, in the Odintsovo district.
The gun Starovoit reportedly used to end his life was awarded to him by the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2023.
He is said to have last communicated with his family two days ago.
Starovoit’s alleged suicide came moments after he was fired as transport minister following 14 months in the role.
Shortly after Starovoit’s dismissal, Putin named Andrey Nikitin, a former governor of the Novgorod region, as acting transport minister.
Putin had unexpectedly dismissed Starovoit without giving an official reason for his dismissal, Politico Europe reported.
However, airports across Russia suffered multiple delays and cancellations over the weekend due to Ukrainian drone attacks.
More than 40,000 ticket refunds have been issued so far, with 90,000 people accommodated in hotels by airlines.
Meanwhile, an explosion on Monday aboard a Russian tanker at a port in the Leningrad region triggered an ammonia leak, adding to the crisis engulfing the nation’s transportation sector.
Meanwhile, sources told Reuters that there had been talks over firing Starovoit for weeks due to corruption and political mismanagement in Kursk.
Before his time as minister, Starovoit spent almost five years as acting governor and head of the region, which borders Ukraine.
A few months after joining Putin’s cabinet, Kyiv launched the biggest foreign incursion into Russian territory since the Second World War.
Although Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces were pushed out of Kursk earlier this year, some regional officials were arrested on abuse of office charges.
In April, Starovoit's successor Alexei Smirnov was charged with embezzling money earmarked for defence purposes.
When asked about Mr Starovoit's sudden departure from the ministry of transport, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "At present, in the president's opinion, Andrei Nikitin's professional qualities and experience will best contribute to ensuring that this agency, which the president described as extremely important, fulfils its tasks and functions."
