Putin health bombshell as Russian despot caught on hot mic discussing 'immortality'

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping made the comments as they walked next to Kim Jong Un (Image: Getty)

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping discussed achieving “immortality” in a private conversation which was inadvertently captured in Beijing. The hot mic incident captured the two leaders, both 72, speaking about how this could be done via organ transplants and advanced medical procedures.

The Chinese president told this counterpart via a translator: “Earlier, people rarely lived to 70, but these days at 70 you are still a child.” Mr Putin responded: "With the development of biotechnology, human organs can be continuously transplanted and people can live younger and younger, and even achieve immortality.” Xi replied: “Predictions are, this century, there is also a chance of living to 150.”

Xi Jinping welcomed Vladimir Putin and other world leaders to Beijing for the parade on Wednesday (Image: Getty)

The audio was picked up by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV and came as Mr Putin attended China’s huge Victory Day parade in Beijing, marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War.

More than 20 world leaders were in attendance for the military display, including North Korea’s Kim Jong Un who could be seen alongside Mr Putin and Mr Xi during the hot mic recording.

The comments will likely raise concerns, as China has been accused of illegally harvesting organs from detained minority groups.

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In 2021, UN human rights experts said they have “received credible information that detainees from ethnic, linguistic or religious minorities may be forcibly subjected to blood tests and organ examinations such as ultrasound and x-rays, without their informed consent; while other prisoners are not required to undergo such examinations”.

“The results of the examinations are reportedly registered in a database of living organ sources that facilitates organ allocation,” a UN press release added.

China celebrated some of its latest military equipment during the Victory Day parade on Wednesday.

This included laser weapons, nuclear missiles and huge underwater drones.

It comes after Mr Putin and Mr Xi both attended a two-day regional security meeting in China, dubbed the “anti-NATO” summit.

It represented the largest talks of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO), a political, economic and international security group, since it was founded in 2001.