Vladimir Putin has told a conference on artificial intelligence how he plans to live to the age of 150, but even that wouldn’t be long enough. Putin, 73, spoke as Ukrainian military intelligence insisted the Russian president is using body doubles to avoid danger and lighten his workload.

Putin told Chinese leader Xi Jinping two months ago how the two despots could live until 150, claiming “human organs can be continuously transplanted”. He added: “The longer you live, the younger you become.” Now the Russian leader has said: “It is probably possible to reach 150. But, first of all, it will always be too few, just like with money. Always.”

While technology could play a role, a return to “traditional values” was important for a long life, Putin told his bemused audience.

Putin also revealed that he was recently ordered into hospital overnight for an annual health check.

He said: “I went in during the afternoon and left the next day. Thank God, everything is fine.”

Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov said Putin dreams of eternal life.

Budanov said: “Let’s go back to history, all dictators dreamed of living longer and, in the best case, living forever. And everyone worked on it.

“But again, they all have one thing in common: it didn’t help anyone. For different reasons, but it didn’t help. But I say again, it’s not possible, God created us like this, we will die.”

He said Putin has previously sensed danger and sent body doubles on trips where there was a risk to life.

Asked if Putin doppelgängers still exist, intelligence chief Budanov said: “They do, and they are in place…. It reached the point of absurdity when official events involving the [Russian] head of state were taking place, so to speak, in Moscow and in the Russian Far East with only half an hour between them. Everyone understands that this is physically impossible.”

He said the Russians used doubles to “save the leader’s time” and “where it is dangerous, it is better to risk the double”. Budanov did not give examples of where he thought a double had been used.