Russia's Putin is spending $26B to live forever

6 hours ago

Vladimir Putin's $26 billion longevity initiative, known as the New Health Preservation Technologies program, prioritizes anti-aging research including gene therapy, organ bioprinting, xenotransplantation, and ultralow temperature exposure.
The program's $26 billion cost is stark in Russia, where the war in Ukraine has drained resources and male life expectancy lags behind Western countries, and it aims to save 175,000 lives—a number comparable to estimated Russian troop losses.
Putin discussed human longevity with Xi Jinping in 2023, revealing this was not mere speculation but a state-backed program already in motion.
Key figures driving the project include Putin's elder daughter Maria Vorontsova, an endocrinologist, and physicist Mikhail Kovalchuk, whose brother is close to Putin, linking the science to Putin's inner circle.
Technologies emphasized include bioprinting of human tissues like cartilage, xenotransplantation using genetically modified mini-pigs for organ replacement by 2030, and gene therapies to slow cellular aging.
The program lacks robust public scientific evidence, with little peer-reviewed research published internationally, raising concerns about transparency and isolation due to sanctions and political pressures.
Putin's personal focus on longevity, amid his cultivation of a strongman image, reflects how his anxiety about aging shapes state policy, even as young Russians die in war, revealing priorities of the Kremlin.

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