Mikhail Kovalchuk, head of Russia’s Kurchatov nuclear research institute and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, told a forum of schoolteachers in Moscow that Western nations are plotting to exterminate the majority of the Earth’s population. Speaking at the Forum of Class Teachers, a Kremlin-backed organization, Kovalchuk claimed the West aims to leave a small elite whose needs would be serviced by robots, with the remainder eliminated via biological weapons.
Kovalchuk, 77, alleged that Western governments are promoting LGBT ideologies and child-free lifestyles to reduce population numbers, arguing that future generations would no longer continue their “bloodlines,” leaving only the elite population intact. He warned of a deadly virus with a 90 percent mortality rate as a potential tool to accomplish this alleged goal.
The forum, attended by around 1,000 educators, was opened by senior Kremlin official Sergei Kiriyenko, who emphasized that teachers play a key role in shaping the beliefs and dreams of Russia’s youth. Kovalchuk reinforced the message by asserting that Russia’s only true allies are its army and navy, echoing a historical quote attributed to Tsar Alexander III.
Kovalchuk, who has been described as one of Putin’s closest confidants, also oversees state-backed research into anti-ageing technologies, including 3D bioprinting of organs, and genetics projects involving Putin’s eldest daughter, Maria Vorontsova. Last year, he directed scientists to accelerate these initiatives, with the Russian president referencing them in a recent discussion in China about humanity’s potential to achieve “immortality.”
His family is deeply connected to Putin. Mikhail’s younger brother, Yury Kovalchuk, a media and finance tycoon, is known to have spent significant time with the Russian president during the pandemic, reportedly strategizing on restoring Russia’s global influence prior to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Observers note that both Putin and his inner circle have a history of endorsing far-fetched conspiracy theories. For instance, the president previously referenced a baseless claim that former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright considered it “unfair” that Russia owned Siberia, a statement later traced to a Kremlin “mind-reading” experiment conducted in 1999.
The Forum of Class Teachers declined to comment on Kovalchuk’s statements, which critics say highlight the type of extreme narratives that may influence Kremlin policy and the messaging directed at Russian youth.
