00:00Russia is attempting to address its declining population by solving human aging.
00:04In May, Russian President Vladimir Putin decreed that national life expectancy should increase
00:09to 78 years by 2030 and 81 years by 2036.
00:14Now, Russian independent news outlets Meduza and Systema are reporting that in June, Russian
00:18research institutes received a letter from the government demanding drastic progress
00:22toward treating the human aging process.
00:25The letter requested proposals to address cellular aging, prevent cognitive disorders, correct
00:30the immune system, and develop new technologies like bioprinting human organs.
00:35Meduza and Systema say that anonymous sources close to the Kremlin and the medical industry
00:39called the haste with which the letter demanded proposals unprecedented and unrealistic.
00:44The outlets also report that this push may have been encouraged by Mikhail Kovalchuk, an
00:48eccentric physicist and brother of a businessman close to Putin.
00:51An Atlantic Council report from last month estimated that Russia's population will decline
00:56by 25 to 50 percent by the year 2100.
00:59Coincidentally or not, Putin himself will turn 78 in 2030, exactly matching the first life
01:05expectancy goal announced in May.
