A Moscow clinic claimed to ‘cure’ autism with camel urine, parasite cleanses, and moon phases — charging families millions of rubles

Vasily Generalov ‘treats’ children with autism using ‘parasite expulsion’ and camel urine

Vasily Generalov, a neurologist, is the founder and chief physician of PlanetaMed, a Moscow clinic that specializes in neurological disorders and claims to “cure” autism. Generalov has described his own work this way: “Everyone understands that if I say something, it’s true. Those who don’t understand this are just afraid to look the truth in the eye.” Propagandist Vladimir Solovyov has backed Generalov, inviting him onto his show.

In June 2024, child psychiatrist Stepan Krasnoshchekov posted a video examining Generalov’s treatment methods and other questionable aspects of the clinic’s operations. Krasnoshchekov gathered this information from both public sources, including court databases, and from patients’ parents, who shared the treatment plans prescribed at Generalov’s clinic.

Among the methods Generalov uses to “treat autism,” for example, are diet, stem cells, “getting rid of” viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasitic worms, attempts to “rehabilitate” mitochondria, and camel milk with urine. His prescriptions for medications and dietary supplements can run to 30 items on a single list — nasal drops, pills, injections, and rectal suppositories, all administered at once. Some of the drugs he prescribes, such as testosterone, are unsafe for children because of serious side effects. He also prescribes sedatives, making children calmer and sleepier. Treatment protocols can even depend on the phase of the moon.

All of this runs counter to Russian and foreign clinical guidelines.

Krasnoshchekov also said that Generalov has held a series of broadcasts with a woman who calls herself a witch. Earlier scandals involving Generalov showed that he opposes vaccination and has explained “how to detect faggotry in a child of prepubescent age.” Speaking about and to parents of children with autism spectrum disorders, Generalov uses phrases like “jerking off over their sick child” and “when you take your eyes out of your ass.”

Parents say they pay for the clinic’s services either in cash or through transfers to the bank cards of unrelated third parties. Treatment is expensive enough that some parents have taken out loans. Before a first appointment, patients must undergo tests that can cost several tens of thousands of rubles, and further treatment can run into the hundreds of thousands or millions. Interestingly, Generalov, who is registered as a sole proprietor, was declared bankrupt in 2023.

In response to criticism, Vasily Generalov issued threats

Judging by the testimonials Generalov publishes, he has attracted a group of parents who trust him unconditionally even when their children show no progress at all. In 2024, though, another group of parents launched a petition demanding the clinic be shut down. Generalov said the organizers were bitter women who had sent him nude photos in private messages and never got a reply. His supporters then began threatening the petitioners.

After the petition circulated, Krasnoshchekov posted his video and then suggested on his Telegram channel that anyone interested file complaints with regulatory agencies to prompt an inspection of Generalov’s clinic.

In response, Generalov called Krasnoshchekov a “complete nonentity” and advised him to “just be afraid.”

The complaints had an effect. Citing numerous violations in the clinic’s operations, a court in 2024 issued it a warning and fined it 100,000 rubles. It turned out this wasn’t the first time: in 2019 the clinic hospitalized patients despite lacking a license for inpatient care, and a court fined it then, too, though that didn’t stop the clinic from continuing to operate.

Generalov made good on his threats against Krasnoshchekov by turning to Yaroslav Nilov, a deputy in the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament. Nilov sent a request to the Interior Ministry asking it to investigate the petition’s organizers, as well as Stepan Krasnoshchekov. It appears Generalov himself, acting through a patient’s mother, filed a defamation lawsuit naming Krasnoshchekov among the defendants. According to the Krasnoshchekov, Generalov lost that case (Meduza found no record of it in court databases, possibly because the proceedings were closed).

In 2025, regulators suspended the clinic’s operations for the maximum possible period (90 days), citing numerous violations. In late July 2026, reports emerged that parents were suing the clinic, and the Investigative Committee, Russia’s federal investigating authority, opened a criminal case over their complaints. Other reports said Generalov had left Russia.

On his Telegram channel, Generalov claims everything happening is the result of a conspiracy by American specialists seeking to destabilize Russia, along with LGBTQ+ bloggers.