Unknown individuals removed the ribbon from the bouquet left by Starovyt's beloved at the grave.

      On July 7, 2026, at 15:08 Society At the Smolensk Cemetery in St. Petersburg today, July 7, people gathered to honor the memory of the former Minister of Transport of Russia, Roman Starovoyt. His death occurred a year ago, and on this day, his relatives, colleagues, friends, and acquaintances came to the burial site to express their grief and respect.

      From early morning, a girl could be seen at the cemetery who brought a large basket of roses. This was Polina, Roman's beloved. As cemetery staff told "KP-Petersburg," she arrived around 8 a.m., trying not to attract too much attention. With her was a man who helped carry the heavy basket.

      This bouquet of roses was the largest among all the flowers laid at the monument. On the ribbon attached to the basket, it was written: "To my beloved from Polina." However, by noon, this ribbon had disappeared: the basket of roses remained in place, but the inscription was carefully removed by an unknown person. Perhaps this was done by Roman's relatives to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to his personal life.

      Photo: Yulia Stalina/ "KP-Petersburg" Around 11 a.m., Roman's mother appeared at the cemetery. The woman was outraged by the presence of journalists who insistently wanted to take a few photos, and she chased away the photographers, calling their behavior barbaric.

      Roman Starovoyt passed away in July 2025 against the backdrop of an anti-corruption investigation against his former colleagues in the government of the Kursk region. He was buried at the Smolensk Cemetery, next to the chapel of St. Xenia of Petersburg. St. Petersburg was his hometown, where he spent a significant part of his life, studied, and worked. By today's date, a monument made of granite had been erected at his grave. On one of the slabs, there is an inscription—a poem composed by Starovoyt's loved ones.

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