RUSSIA’S former transport minister has reportedly been found dead just hours after being fired by Vladimir Putin.

Roman Starovoit, who had held the post for less than a year, was dismissed earlier Monday amid escalating turmoil in Russia’s transport sector.

Hours later, he was reportedly found dead at his home in the elite Odintsovo – marking another grim twist in the Kremlin’s growing shadow of sudden deaths.

There is no official confirmation at the moment, but major channels with links to the Russian security forces reported the cause of death as suicide, claiming the minister was found dead with gunshot wounds.

The firearm, according to Russian media, was an award pistol issued to him in 2023 by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Unconfirmed reports suggest he was killed using his own weapon.

Izvestiya, citing a source, said Starovoit had shot himself.

The report was picked up by Reuters and Al Arabiya.

News of the death first broke via NextaTV on X, posting: “Former Russian Transport Minister, Fired by Putin Today, Found Dead.”

The shock announcement of Starovoit’s sacking came as Russia’s creaking transport infrastructure buckles under pressure.

The aviation sector is reportedly short on spare parts due to sanctions and isolation.

Russian Railways – the country’s largest employer – is also struggling with surging interest costs and inflation driven by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Putin has replaced Starovoit with his deputy, Andrei Nikitin, who immediately called for a reduction in cargo bottlenecks and promised stability.

The Kremlin has not issued an official comment on Starovoit’s death.

His is the latest in a string of suspicious deaths of Russian officials, oligarchs and insiders since Mad Vlad’s invasion of Ukraine began.

Many have died in reported suicides, falls from windows or under mysterious circumstances, fuelling speculation about growing instability behind the Kremlin’s walls.