Putin 'plans to rule Russia until 2050' and rival Ivan the Terrible
Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly aiming to rule until 2050, according to the British tabloid The Daily Star, which cited investigative journalist Ilia Davliatcin.
The journalist suggests Mr. Putin, 73, who has led the Kremlin longer than any Russian leader since Joseph Stalin, desires to remain in control until the age of 97 and then hand power to his son, Ivan. His son, Ivan, is currently 10 years old and will be 35 in 2050, according to The Moscow Times. This speculated intention significantly exceeds the current legal framework: the constitution, which was amended in 2020 to 'reset' his presidential terms, currently permits him to remain in power only until 2036, when he would be 83.
In terms of tenure, Mr. Putin has already exceeded the records of several historic leaders, including Augusto Pinochet (17 years), Kim Jong Il (17 years), Benito Mussolini, Indonesian dictator Suharto (20 years) and Romania's Nicolae Ceaușescu (24 years). Completing a fifth term would see him surpass Mao Zedong, and a sixth term would place him equal to Francisco Franco (Spain) and António de Oliveira Salazar (Portugal), both of whom ruled for 36 years. Should he remain in power until 2050, he would exceed Muammar Gaddafi (42 years), Kim Il Sung (46 years), and Fidel Castro (49 years), making him Russia's longest-serving ruler since Ivan the Terrible, who reigned for 50 years (including his childhood, when effective governance was exercised by boyars).
Meanwhile, The Times reports that Mr. Putin’s inner circle is actively focusing on extending the president’s life, with the Ministry of Health having been urgently asked last September to gather all available anti-ageing research. The project for a possible 'youth drug' is being coordinated by 77-year-old Mikhail Kovalchuk, a Putin associate and director of the Kurchatov Institute of Nuclear Research. Mr. Putin’s eldest daughter, Maria Vorontsova, an endocrinologist, is also reportedly involved.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
