Russian Official and Turkish Soldiers Meet Tragic Ends

Roman Starovoit, Russia's former transport minister, was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Investigative Committee. He was dismissed by President Vladimir Putin earlier on the same day and had been in the post since May 2024. The reason for his dismissal was not given, but he was reportedly set to be brought in as a defendant in a case involving embezzlement related to the building of fortifications on the border with Ukraine.

Russia's former Transport Minister Roman Starovoytov died of a suspected suicide hours after being fired by President Vladimir Putin, according to state media. Starovoytov fatally shot himself in his car, with the Investigative Committee citing suicide as the main hypothesis. The dismissal came amid chaos caused by Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia, which led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Another Transport Ministry official, Andrei Korneichuk, died suddenly during a meeting, with the preliminary cause of death determined to be cardiac arrest. The deaths follow a string of high-profile Russians dying suddenly, including the vice-president of state oil company Transneft, whose body was found beneath a house window with a farewell message to his wife.

Roman Starovoyt, Russia's former transport minister and ex-governor of the Kursk region, was found dead from a gunshot wound in his car hours after being fired by President Vladimir Putin. The Investigative Committee is investigating the circumstances surrounding his death, including the possibility of suicide. Starovoyt had been Kursk governor for over five years before becoming Transport Minister in May 2024, a position he was dismissed from by Putin.

Russia's former transport minister, Roman Starovoit, has been found dead with a gunshot wound in his car in Odintsovo, a neighbourhood west of Moscow. The 53-year-old was dismissed from his role by President Vladimir Putin just hours before his death. Russia's Investigative Committee said the circumstances surrounding Mr Starovoit's death are being investigated, with the main version being suicide, and a gun previously given to him as an official gift was found next to his body. Mr Starovoit's dismissal is reportedly linked to an investigation into the embezzlement of state funds allocated for building fortifications in the Kursk region, which he previously governed.

Twelve Turkish soldiers died after being exposed to methane gas while searching a cave in northern Iraq during Operation Claw Lock, a military operation against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). At least 19 personnel were exposed to the gas, with 12 dying by the next day. The soldiers were searching for a colleague killed in 2022. Methane gas can be deadly in enclosed spaces due to suffocation. The incident occurred amid a backdrop of a 40-year conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which recently declared a ceasefire and announced it would disband.

12 Turkish soldiers died from methane gas poisoning while searching for the remains of a comrade killed by Kurdish militants in a cave in northern Iraq. Initially, 5 soldiers died on Sunday, and 7 more succumbed on Monday, bringing the total death toll to 12. The soldiers were part of a search operation that began in May 2022, and 19 troops were exposed to the gas in total. The incident occurred in a cave at an altitude of 2,795 feet that had previously been used by the PKK as a field hospital.