Russia has fired its transport minister. He oversaw the construction of fortifications in the Kursk region
updatedRussian dictator Vladimir Putin has fired Transport Minister Roman Starovoit, who until May 2024 was the governor of the Kursk region and was responsible for the construction of fortifications on the border.
In September 2024, the Armed Forces of Ukraine broke through their defenses in one day and advanced 35 kilometers into Russian territory.
Alexey Smirnov, who replaced Starovoit as head of the region, was detained in April 2025 in a criminal case involving large-scale fraud during the construction of fortifications. Starovoit was not mentioned in the materials, but, as Agentstvo.Novosti notes, this case is the most discussed version of the dismissal of the Russian minister.
Politico points to another factor: the dismissal occurred after the collapse of Russian airports over the weekend following attacks by Ukrainian drones.
Roman Starovoit's place was taken by Andrei Nikitin, the former governor of the Novgorod region, who until recently held the position of Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation.
The Kursk operation thwarted the Russians' plans for an offensive in the Pokrovsk direction, according to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi. As of June 22, 2025, the Armed Forces of Ukraine controlled approximately 90 sq km of territory in the Glushkovsky district of the Kursk region.