Russian President Vladimir Putin Vladimir Putin is appointing people “significantly older than most of the adult population” to senior leadership roles, according to UK officials.The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the 72-year-old Russian president continues to hire his close personal allies to ensure he survives as the authoritarian leader.In its latest update on X, the MoD said: “The Russian state increasingly resembles a gerontocracy; a form of rule in which the senior leaders are significantly older than most of the adult population.“The majority of Russia’s senior leadership, including Putin (72) are aged in the vicinity of, and exceeding, Russia’s reported 2023 average life expectancy (approximately 68 years).”For instance, Russian security council secretary and former defence minister Sergei Shoigu’s military contract has reportedly just been extended for a further five years, until he’s 75 years old.The MoD claimed the high-profile politician also missed Russia’s May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow “for health-related reasons”.The British officials speculated that Putin’s decision to instal