The reported suicide of Russia's transport minister hours after he was dismissed by President Vladimir Putin, sparking speculation he would be arrested on corruption charges, has shaken the country's elite.

Roman Starovoyt was buried in Saint Petersburg on Friday, with his family weeping at his open coffin before it was lowered into the ground.

The 53-year-old was found dead in his car on Monday in an elite Moscow suburb -- hours after Putin issued a decree to fire him, with no explanation.

Russian investigators say he shot himself.

Media reports said he was being investigated for corruption and could have been arrested within days.

While government departments sent flowers and some ministers attended a memorial ceremony in Moscow a day earlier, there was unease over the fate of Starovoyt, who had climbed the ranks of Russia's bureaucracy to a seat in the cabinet.

Many who came to the ceremony in Moscow refused to speak to AFP.

"It's a great loss. Very unexpected," said Valentina, a 42-year-old translator whose husband worked........

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