Former Russian transport minister kills self after job loss

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday dismissed former Transport Minister Roman Starovoit. The Kremlin did not give a reason for his dismissal and Putin appointed the former deputy minister, Andrew Nikitin, as acting director. Starovoit later took his own life in his personal vehicle in a suburb of Moscow, according to the state-run news outlet TASS. He had run the transport ministry since May 2024.

What happened prior to the dismissal? Russian authorities over the weekend delayed nearly 2,000 flights and canceled nearly 500 more amid a barrage of Ukrainian drones. The Russian Defense Ministry on Monday said it shot down 91 drones overnight, including eight over the Moscow region. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday signed a new round of sanctions on Russian businesses and individuals.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Russell’s report about Russia launching a slew of drone attacks against Ukraine last week.