Sergei Shoigu has unveiled desire to clone ancient royal warriors in Siberia   

The ancient Tunnug burial site is located in the Valley of the Kings in Tuva 

'We would like very much to find the organic matter,' the defence minister said 

Russia's defence minister has taken time out from massing troops on Ukraine's borders to unveil a 'Dolly the Sheep' cloning dream involving ancient royal warriors and their prize horses using DNA preserved in permafrost.

Sergei Shoigu - one of Vladimir Putin's closest allies - spoke about the potential of the extraordinary 3,000-year-old Scythian burials in Tuva, his mountainous native republic in Siberia.

The ancient Tunnug burial site of nomadic warriors - often laid to rest with their horses - is in an area known as the Valley of the Kings in Tuva.