KYIV — Russian President Vladimir Putin fired Transport Minister Roman Starovoit early Monday, according to a decree published by the Kremlin.
The government provided no official explanation for Starovoit’s firing, but it comes after Ukrainian drone attacks over the weekend sparked turmoil for Russian air traffic, with stranded passengers stuck in airports as flights were canceled.
According to Russia’s federal air transport agency and the Russian transport ministry, Russian airlines canceled 485 flights, while 88 flights had to be redirected and 1,900 flights were delayed in the period from Saturday to Monday.
Airlines had to issue 43,000 forced ticket refunds, accommodate 94,000 people in hotels, and provide food and drink worth 354,000 rubles (€3,800). Russian pro-government media website Kommersant reported that the transport issues will cost billions of rubles (more than €200,000).
Ukrainian drones have repeatedly forced Russia to close its airspace for civilian traffic, as Kyiv targets military plants and other sites as it looks to inflict domestic pain on Putin.
Starovoit, former governor of Russia’s Kursk region, was appointed to lead the transport ministry in 2024.
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