This footage appearing to show a Russian influencer and crypto tycoon recklessly tossing his baby son into a deep snowdrift for online likes has led to a court a warrant for his arrest.
Sergei Kosenko, known as Mr Thank You, is a self-described ‘actor, singer, influencer, entrepreneur’ with 46.6 million followers on Instagram.
The distressing footage of Mr Kosenko throwing the boy, who according to the Moscow Times was two months old at the time of the incident, into air and seemingly letting him fall into a deep snowbank was originally posted in January 2024.
The clip quickly went viral, creating international headlines and a massive backlash, at which point Mr Kosenko deleted the post.
The influencer claims that he actually used a dummy child and clever editing and did not put his son in danger.
However, the clip came to the attention of the Russian authorities, who have now issued an arrest warrant for Mr Kosenko.
The arrest warrant was issued in his absence by the Basmanny District Court of the city of Moscow, which has also ordered that his assets in Russia be frozen.
The Russian authorities said in a statement: ‘The accused threw the child away from himself and upward, allowing him to fall from a height.
Mr Kosenko dangles his then two-month-old boy above the snowbank in preparation for the viral stunt
Mr Kosenko’s child at the moment of impact, dressed in a little panda costume, before he disappears beneath the deep snow
Russian millionaire influencer Sergei Kosenko, known as Mr Thank You, pictured on an aeroplane with his baby son
‘The criminal intent was not completed due to the child’s fall being softened by the snow cover.’
The Russian authorities have ordered that the influencer be extradited to Russia to face charges.
They also ordered that he be detained for two months from the moment he arrives on Russian soil.
Sergei Zhorin, the suspect’s lawyer, told local media that his client was ready to cooperate with law enforcement and provide the original video footage.
The lawyer claimed that the child was not actually used for the filming and that the ‘video was filmed using a dummy and editing.’
But this has not stopped the Russian authorities from placing him on a wanted list on charges of attempted intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm to a minor and failure to fulfil his duties to raise a minor.
They have also frozen the influencer’s bank accounts in Russia, with local media saying that the authorities have frozen RUB 206 million (£1.6 million) distributed across 43 bank accounts.
If convicted, Kosenko, who is one of Russia’s top content creators, faces up to 10 years in prison.
The influencer currently lives abroad, with reports saying that he splits his time between Los Angeles and Dubai.
Mr Kosenko previously attracted controversy in 2021 after a stunt in which he drove a car around Moscow with a woman taped to the roof.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
