In a Moscow institute led by Putin's friend, elderly monkeys were gathered to create an "elixir of longevity"
At the Kurchatov Institute in Moscow, led by Vladimir Putin's associate Mikhail Kovalchuk, a collection of elderly monkeys has been assembled. Scientists hope to find ways to extend human life through primate research. Kovalchuk spoke about this at the Kurchatov Genomic Forum in Moscow, writes The Moscow Times.
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The institute's nurseries house over 7,000 primates of 22 species. Scientists are studying monkeys aged from 18 to over 30 years to investigate various stages of aging. Biochemical and structural studies are being conducted, examining blood vessels and the brain.
Kovalchuk called primates the closest model to humans for studying aging and creating a system that will allow for the extension of life expectancy.
The Kurchatov Institute, together with the Russian Scientific Center for Surgery, has already created a biobank of blood samples from long-lived monkeys. According to the center's director, Konstantin Kotenko, these materials will be used to study aging processes.
Mikhail Kovalchuk is considered a long-time friend of 74-year-old Putin and his unofficial advisor on scientific matters. His brother, billionaire Yuri Kovalchuk, is part of the Russian president's inner circle. Putin himself shows great interest in the problem of longevity. In September 2025, during a visit to China, he, as journalists found out, discussed with Chinese leader Xi Jinping the possibility of extending life to 150 years.
Putin's elder daughter, endocrinologist Maria Vorontsova, is also involved in genetic research. In October, she spoke at the Moscow School of Management "Skolkovo", where a longevity laboratory was opened. Vorontsova called attempts to go beyond the natural limits of human life an endeavor to "deceive God".
According to The Wall Street Journal, within Russian life extension projects, scientists are also working on slowing down cellular aging through gene therapy and growing organs for transplantation in genetically modified mini-pigs.
The Kremlin allocates significant funds for such research. The budget for 2027-2029 includes almost 18 billion Russian rubles (about 216 million dollars) for the project "New Technologies for Health Preservation," which involves developing methods for extending a healthy life.
Specifically, for 2027, 625.4 million rubles (about 7.5 million dollars) are planned to be allocated for preventive medicine and healthy longevity technologies, 288.5 million (about 3.47 million dollars) for the development of bioprinting technologies for tissues and organs, and another 137.4 million (1.65 million dollars) for studying the causes of aging.