Russia’s transport minister was found dead Monday in what authorities called a suspected suicide, hours after he was dismissed from his post by President Vladimir Putin. Roman Starovoyt, 53, was found in his car in a suburb west of Moscow with a gunshot wound, Russia’s Investigative Committee said.

Russia's Minister of Transport reportedly killed himself just hours after being fired by President Vladimir Putin, according to the country's state-run news agency, which cited the national Investigative Committee.

Roman V. Starovoyt, the transport minister, had governed Russia’s western Kursk region before Ukrainian forces invaded in 2024 and occupied part of the territory.