There were conflicting reports about the timing of Starovoit’s death. The principal hypothesis is that he took his own life, state investigators said on Monday.

Starovoit was found dead in his car outside Moscow with a gunshot wound. Source: AAP / Kommersant Photo / Evgeniy Razumniy

Russia’s investigative committee, which probes major crimes, said it was working to establish the precise circumstances.

In April this year, Starovoit’s successor as governor, Alexei Smirnov, was charged with embezzling money earmarked for defence purposes amid accusations that the funds for border defences had been stolen, leaving Kursk more vulnerable to Ukrainian attack.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and former transport minister Roman Starovoit in January. Source: AAP / AP / Gavriil Grigorov

Pressed earlier by reporters on whether his dismissal meant Putin had lost trust in Starovoit over Kursk, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: “A loss of trust is mentioned if there is a loss of trust.”

“There is no such wording in the [Kremlin] decree,” he said.

Significant challenges for Russia’s transport sector

Russia’s aviation sector is short of spare parts, and Russian railways, the country’s largest employer, is grappling with soaring interest costs as high rates, needed to curb higher inflation exacerbated by the war, take their toll.