Putin’s Birthday

October 7 is the birthday of Vladimir Putin. Two years ago, we had a second front start in Gaza. It was a great distraction from the Ukraine front for a tad. And no, this is not about that front. What surprises would we have today?

I mean, the birthday of any authoritarian is a big deal. They want to treat it as something special, almost divine. It is a feature, not a bug, of the authoritarian mind.

No, this is not exclusive to Putin either. So insert your favorite authoritarian here, because they all fear death. Granted, Kim Jong Un takes some of the cake, since he is seen as a literal god. Anyway, enjoy, because this is funny:

Putin dreams of immortality, — Le Monde

The Russian dictator has seriously taken an interest in the question of life extension. In recent years, funding for Russian scientific projects in the field of aging combat has increased sixfold. The state pays special attention to programs led by Maria Vorontsova — the president’s eldest daughter, an endocrinologist, and co-owner of Nomeko, a company owning clinics and research centers in Russia.

Vorontsova also participates in managing the state genetics development program, whose budget exceeds 127 billion rubles (over 1 billion euros). This initiative is overseen by Putin’s close ally Mikhail Kovalchuk, head of the Kurchatov Institute. Putin…