September 09, 2024

Eternal Putin?


Eternal Putin?
Vladimir Putin and scientist Mikhail Kovalchuk. Presidential Press and Information Office, Wikimedia Commons.

In early June, Russian research institutes received a letter from the Russian Ministry of Health that required them to urgently provide developments in the fight against aging. This was reported in an investigation by independent media outlets Meduza and Sistema.

According to journalists, doctors were required to promptly provide “proposals for developments” in the field of preventing and developing cognitive and sensory disorders, methods for correcting the immune system, medical products aimed at reducing the burden of cellular aging, as well as in the field of organ bioprinting.

According to the journalists’ sources in research institutes, they have not yet sent their developments to the Ministry of Health. The publication’s interlocutors noted that they are unlikely to be able to send anything significant — the letter they received had the tone of, “Give me at least something.”

“The biggest boss set the task, and officials rushed to implement it in every possible way,” said one source.

The main lobbyist for the program is believed to be the president of the Kurchatov Institute, Mikhail Kovalchuk, known for his friendship with President Vladimir Putin and commitment to various anti-scientific theories. "This is Kovalchuk, who raves about eternal life and the 'Russian genome,' and that raving has reached the president," said one source.

According to journalists, Kovalchuk is already overseeing a federal program for domestic developments in the field of genetics. Putin's eldest daughter, endocrinologist Maria Vorontsova, is participating in it.

As noted by the investigation, back in early 2024, Putin announced that Russia needed a new national project aimed at "preserving the health" of citizens. One interviewee at a capital hospital ironically calls the initiative "the whims of an aging Politburo."

It is not yet known whether the new letter is connected with the national program. At the same time, the letter from the Ministry of Health and articles dedicated to the national project mention a direction that is only indirectly related to life extension as a technology “aimed at active longevity.” This includes three-dimensional printing using living cells, which allows the creation of human organs (bioprinting). The state corporation Rosatom, associated with Kovalchuk, is responsible for its development.

You Might Also Like

Russian Anxiety on the Rise
  • August 26, 2024

Russian Anxiety on the Rise

Russian anxieties about the war are increasing in response to Ukraine's offensive into the Kursk region. 
So Long, American Tech
  • August 21, 2024

So Long, American Tech

US-based software companies will soon not be accessible in Russia at all. 
Made in Russia?
  • August 19, 2024

Made in Russia?

According to journalists, Russia has failed in its efforts at import substitution.
What's Your Score?
  • July 15, 2024

What's Your Score?

A Moscow university hopes to create a social score system like China's. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955