Kathrine Frich
Moscow is increasingly framing science as part of national security.
Research once discussed in labs is now being presented in strategic terms.
In Russia’s leadership narrative, the next great contest may not only be fought with missiles and drones.
A warning to students
Vladimir Putin told students and graduates at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) that genetics could carry risks on the scale of the most destructive weapons ever created.
“Regarding genetics in general, some believe that, from a security standpoint, it’s even more serious than the invention of the atomic bomb,” he said.
“It could have colossal consequences for humanity. Of course, we must not only not fall behind here. We must be ahead.”
Biology as battlefield
Since launching the war, Moscow has repeatedly alleged that Ukraine and NATO states run secret biological laboratories, claims Kyiv and its allies say are baseless.
Against that backdrop, Putin’s remarks place biotechnology alongside other areas of competition where the Kremlin argues Russia cannot lag behind rivals.
“If energy, food and migration are weapons, then science becomes a weapon too,” said a Western diplomat.
Longevity and control
Putin, 73, has also spoken publicly about longer life, including in comments to China’s leader Xi Jinping, 72, suggesting they could both live to 150 and claiming “human organs can be continuously transplanted. The longer you live, the younger you become.”
A source described the pressure to deliver research results, saying:
“The biggest boss [Putin] set a task, and officials rushed to implement it in every possible way.”
An informer added:
“We were asked to urgently send all our developments, and the letter came, let’s say, today, and everything had to be sent yesterday.”
Russia’s health minister Mikhail Murashko later acknowledged limits to the effort, saying:
“So far, there is no universal pill for old age,” and adding, “And I may be wrong, of course, but creating a universal pill for old age will probably be quite difficult for now.”
Sources: Daily Express
