Vladimir Putin has talked about living to 150. Now a science institute run by his close friend has created a bank of blood samples from long-lived primates in search of a way to slow aging.

The Kurchatov Institute, led by Vladimir Putin’s close friend Mikhail Kovalchuk, has joined forces with the Petrovsky Russian Research Center of Surgery to establish a repository of blood samples from long-lived primates. The aim is to study the mechanisms of aging, according to Konstantin Kotenko, director of the surgery center.

Kovalchuk, who made the announcement at the Kurchatov Genomic Forum, claimed that primate research would pave the way for "creating a regulatory system for extending human lifespan." The institute is home to over 7,000 monkeys belonging to 22 species, which are being examined for signs of aging, including the state of their blood vessels, brains, and other organs.

Kovalchuk, like his brother Yuri, is a member of Putin's inner circle and serves as an informal science advisor. In 2024, Meduza and Sistema reported that Kovalchuk might have been instrumental in launching a state anti-aging project. This project's inception was reportedly driven by an "obsession amplified by lobbying," according to a Kremlin source close to the government.

Putin, who is 74, shares Kovalchuk's fascination with extending human life. During Putin's visit to China in September 2025, a broadcast mistakenly captured his conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping. They discussed the potential of living up to 150 years, and Putin suggested that biotechnology could enable "continuous transplantation of organs" and even "achieve immortality."