Putin says ‘I’ve never been afraid of anything’

Russian President Vladimir Putin said 'I've never been afraid of anything' during a visit to Novosibirsk, responding to a young scientist's claim that he had nothing to fear from artificial intelligence. Putin also warned that AI could shrink people's brains and divide society into an intellectual elite and button-pressers. The comments came as Putin tours Russian regions amid falling domestic popularity and a Ukrainian drone strike that killed at least 13 people in Tatarstan.

Vladimir Putin https://metro.co.uk/tag/vladimir-putin/ was quizzed about his stance on the rising threats facing Russia https://metro.co.uk/tag/russia/ , sparking a defiant response from the president. The Russian president, whose domestic popularity has been in freefall https://metro.co.uk/2026/05/20/putin-seen-walking-awkwardly-stepping-a-car-china-summit-28446871/ , is touring the vast country in an apparent attempt to claw some of it back. Putin, who likes to portray a tough guy public image, insisted nothing can shake him during questions from young teachers and students in Novosibirsk in south-central Russia. During conversations with the next generation of scientists, the thorny topic of AI came up. Putin asked one of the young people: ‘What kind of threat does artificial intelligence pose to us?’ Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get alerts the moment it happens. Breaking News https://metro.co.uk/newsletters/breaking-news?ito=news-article&?signup source=news-article-link The young scientist replied: ‘I’ll be honest with you, you’ve got nothing to be afraid of.’ Then Putin said: ‘And I’ve never been afraid of anything.’ He also suggested that AI could turn people’s brains into mush, and divide people into the intellectual elite and those who press the buttons without thinking, First Post reports. The 73-year-old said: ‘And their grey matter gradually shrinks, like shagreen leather. Boom-boom, press the buttons, and everything pops out.’ Putin has been travelling the regions of Russia in recent months, showing his face in Tatarstan, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Buryatia, Omsk, and Irkutsk. His absence from public in the spring raised questions about his health https://metro.co.uk/tag/health-news/ and whereabouts after Putin was not seen for more than two weeks after Easter https://metro.co.uk/tag/easter/ . Then at the annual Victory Day parade in May, the president appeared with a puffy face and swollen cheeks https://metro.co.uk/2026/05/12/putin-faces-fresh-questions-health-seen-swollen-visibly-aged-face-victory-day-parade-28337177/ , prompting questions about his wellbeing. In a further blow to Putin, a Ukrainian drone managed to slip through defences and deep inside Russia on Monday night. The drone struck more than 680 miles from the border in the Tatarstan region, killing at least 13 people. Attacks inside Russia stemming from its war against Ukraine https://metro.co.uk/tag/ukraine/ spill the conflict deeper onto Putin’s doorstep, risking his popularity even further as the country’s citizens are subjected to the horrors of the fighting. Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky https://metro.co.uk/tag/volodymyr-zelenskyy/ said in an interview with Sky News https://metro.co.uk/tag/sky/ that Putin aims to mobilise up to 500,000 soldiers after the Russian parliamentary elections in September. Zelensky said: ‘He wants to increase mobilisation. Not openly, because he is afraid of his society, but he will do it at the beginning of October, if we don’t cause him problems with logistics, weapons, petrol, diesel, and if our partners don’t impose total sanctions for his aggression. ‘It will be a big problem because he will aim to mobilise from 300,000 to 500,000 people. It’s not that difficult for him to mobilise this number. He will have internal questions about it, because his society is – and I saw the polls – against mobilisation.’ Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page https://metro.co.uk/news/ . MORE: Former US Marine reunited with family after Russia releases him from four-year imprisonment https://metro.co.uk/2026/08/11/former-us-marine-reunited-family-russia-releases-four-year-imprisonment-29355111/?ico=more text links MORE: Russians told to ‘stay inside and away from windows’ during Putin visit https://metro.co.uk/2026/08/11/russians-told-stay-inside-away-windows-putin-visit-29352087/?ico=more text links MORE: Two plane passengers ‘spotted running across tarmac to catch departing flight’ https://metro.co.uk/2026/08/09/two-plane-passengers-spotted-running-across-tarmac-catch-departing-flight-29333594/?ico=more text links