Russia’s former Transport Minister Roman Starovoy has died of suspected suicide hours after being fired by President Vladimir Putin, according to state media. The 53-year-old was fatally shot in his car in Odintsovo, a city west of Moscow.
Starovoy was dismissed from his position just hours before his death, with no official reason given. However, ongoing Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia have caused chaos for air traffic and prompted the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
The Ministry of Defense claimed to have intercepted over 120 drones in several regions of the country between Saturday night and Sunday morning. In Ukraine, at least 11 civilians were killed and more than 80 others injured in Russian drone attacks.
The deaths of Starovoy and another Transport Ministry official, 42-year-old Andrei Korneichuk, come after the sudden death of Transneft’s vice-president earlier this week. The cause of Korneichuk’s death is still unclear, with some reports suggesting it may have been cardiac arrest.
The cases are part of a string of high-profile deaths among powerful Russians, who often die suddenly in apparent incidents.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-transport-minister-roman-starovoy-dies-suicide-fired-by-putin