Russia’s transport minister killed himself hours after he was sacked by Vladimir Putin, according to state media.

Roman Starovoit, the former governor of the Kursk region that was invaded by Ukrainian forces last year, was found dead in his car from a gunshot wound.

Svetlana Petrenko, a spokeswoman for the Russian investigative committee, said “suicide is the primary version”, and added that investigators were working at the scene.

Starovoit, 53, was dismissed from his position as minister of transport for unspecified reasons on Monday. Over the weekend, Ukrainian drone attacks sparked turmoil at Russian airports, with hundreds of passengers left stranded by flight cancellations.

The Kremlin said the sacking was not related to a loss of confidence in the long-standing member of Putin’s United Russia party.