Putin's friend decided to develop a "longevity drug" on elderly monkeys.
The Kurchatov Institute, headed by Vladimir Putin's ally Mikhail Kovalchuk, has amassed a unique collection of elderly monkeys. Scientists hope to use them to find ways to extend human life. Kovalchuk spoke about the research at the Kurchatov Genome Forum in Moscow, TASS reports.
In the institute's nurseries there are more than 7 thousand primates from 22 species. "We screen older monkeys to look at all stages of aging. We evaluate from age 18 to age 30 plus. We perform a full survey: biochemical, structural analysis, blood vessels, brain, everything. The primates are the closest example to us. This is the basis for creating a regulatory system to extend [life expectancy]," Kovalchuk said.
The Kurchatov Institute, together with the Russian Scientific Center for Surgery, has already created a biobank of blood samples from long-tailed monkeys. According to the director of the center, Konstantin Kutenko, the samples will be used to study aging processes.
Mikhail Kovalchuk is considered an old friend of the 74-year-old Putin and his unofficial scientific advisor. His brother, billionaire Yuriy Kovalchuk, is part of the president's inner circle. Putin shows great interest in longevity. In September 2025, during his visit to China, journalists discovered that Putin spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about extending life to 150 years.
Research in the field of genetics is carried out not only by the Kovalchuk Institute, but also by Putin's eldest daughter, the endocrinologist Maria Vorontsova. In October, she spoke at the Moscow Skolkovo School of Administration, where a longevity laboratory was opened. Vorontsova called the attempts to go beyond the natural limits of human life as a desire to "deceive God".