Putin dismisses Russian Transport Minister amid corruption scandal fallout in Kursk

Russian President Vladimir Putin has officially dismissed Roman Starovoit from the post of Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, according to a presidential decree published on the legal acts portal, Azernews reports via RBC.

Starovoit, a longtime bureaucrat in Russia’s transport sector and former governor of the Kursk region, held the ministerial post for just over a year. He had previously served as the head of Rosavtodor (Federal Road Agency) from 2012 to 2018 and briefly as Deputy Minister of Transport before taking over as Kursk’s governor in 2018. His appointment as transport minister came in May 2024, after six years leading the border region.

The dismissal follows a widening criminal investigation into embezzlement and fraud related to the construction of military defense infrastructure in Kursk Oblast—a region bordering Ukraine that has seen increasing militarization since the launch of Russia’s “special military operation.”

In April 2025, Starovoit’s successor in Kursk, Alexey Smirnov, was detained over the alleged misappropriation of funds intended for the construction of "dragon’s teeth"—concrete barriers along the border. Investigations found substandard work and inflated contracts, with charges eventually extending to the former deputy governor Aleksey Dedov and former regional lawmaker Maksim Vasilyev, the latter of whom has reportedly partially admitted guilt.

The head of the Kursk Region Development Corporation, Vladimir Lukin, was also arrested in late 2024 for abuse of office during fortification construction. The corporation’s activities had been repeatedly criticized by Alexander Khinshtein, who assumed the role of acting governor of Kursk in December.

Though Starovoit has not been officially charged, his removal appears connected to the fallout from the Kursk defense infrastructure scandal. The broader investigation has revealed deep-rooted mismanagement and potential corruption in one of Russia’s most sensitive border regions.

Starovoit had previously been sanctioned by Western countries, including the UK, US, Canada, and Ukraine, following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He was awarded the Order of Honor, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, and the Order of Friendship, and held the rank of Active State Advisor of the Russian Federation, 1st class.

In February 2025, Andrey Nikitin, former governor of the Novgorod Region and ex-CEO of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, became Starovoit’s deputy in the ministry. He now oversees digital transformation and automation within Russia’s transport sector—a signal that the Kremlin may be pivoting toward technocratic leadership amid ongoing governance scandals.