How is Lenin's body preserved?

Each year, the Russian government spends approximately $200,000 on preserving the remains of leader Lenin.

The current remains of leader Lenin.

With his eyes closed, his beard neatly trimmed, dressed in a black suit, his hands resting on his lap, lying peacefully in a transparent glass coffin, the first impression many people have when visiting the former Soviet leader, Vladimir Lenin, seems to be that he is sound asleep.

Many people believe it's just a wax statue replacing the body of someone who died 92 years ago. But it can be confirmed that it is indeed the body of leader Lenin, or at least a part of it.

With careful preservation and regular embalming, scientists believe that the remains of leader Lenin can be kept intact for centuries.

Last month, the Russian Federal Security Service (FGS) announced it would continue its 'medical and biological project to preserve Lenin's body' in 2016. The estimated cost of this project is 13 million rubles (equivalent to $197,000).

When the great Russian leader died in January 1924, no one anticipated that his body would be preserved for so long. After the autopsy, Lenin's remains were temporarily preserved with embalming fluid to prevent decomposition, allowing the public to pay their respects and express their gratitude to their national leader.

Within four days, his body was placed in an open coffin in Red Square, attracting over 50,000 people from all over the world to pay their respects. During that time, due to the low temperatures in Moscow, coupled with the use of preservatives, Lenin's body remained in its original state 56 days after his death.

Soviet officials began considering preserving Lenin's body. Initially, embalming was not supported, as they believed simply freezing the body was sufficient. However, in March 1924, two chemists, Vladimir Vorobyov and Boris Zbarsky, proposed embalming, arguing that freezing alone would still lead to decomposition.

With the weather warming up and temperatures rising, the government decided to try using embalming fluid. At that time, Lenin's body had been somewhat damaged, with dark spots appearing on the skin. Thanks to the tireless work of experts, Lenin's body was restored, and for the first time after preservation, his body was placed in the mausoleum in Red Square in August 1924 for visitors to see.
Since then, a group of scientists has been dedicated to this work. At one point, the "Lenin laboratory" mobilized around 200 experts to work on the project.

Although the number of workers has decreased, the work must remain constant. Every few days, the research team visits the mausoleum to check on the remains and adjust the lighting and temperature. Every 18 months, Lenin's remains are moved to a secret laboratory built beneath the mausoleum for "embalming."

Here, scientists cleaned the body and injected chemicals for preservation. According to the scientific team, the bone structure, skin, and tissues of the body were preserved, but the internal organs and brain were removed. Currently, a portion of his brain is being stored for research at the Brain Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

According to the News