A sacked Russian official who was found dead with a gunshot wound in a park outside Moscow was implicated in an official investigation into the embezzlement of funds for strengthening the border with Ukraine,

Russian lawmakers approved a new transport minister, one day after the body of his predecessor was found with a gunshot wound hours after being sacked by President Vladimir Putin.

Roman Starovoyt, who served as Russia’s transport minister since May 2024, was fired in a presidential decree earlier in the day. Hours later, the body of Starovoyt, 53, was found in his car with a gunshot wound, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee, the top criminal investigation agency.