Russian influencer, Maxim Lyutyi, confessed to killing his son when he appeared at his final court hearing (Photo credit: @kardiyobey)
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Russian influencer Maxim Lyutyi has been sentenced to eight years in prison for the death of his one-month-old son, Kosmos. Lyutyi’s belief that exposing the baby to sunlight would grant him superhuman abilities led to the infant’s death from malnutrition and pneumonia while being rushed to the hospital in Sochi. Initially expecting an early release based on a social media post in January, Lyutyi now faces more than eight years behind bars in a high-security prison for “intentional infliction of serious bodily harm,” following his last-minute change of plea to guilty last week.
Mironova’s cousin Olesya Nikolayeva expressed dismay, revealing that Lyutyi forced Mironova not to feed the baby and believed sunlight would suffice as nourishment. Despite Mironova’s attempts to breastfeed the baby in secret, she lived in fear of Lyutyi. Reports suggest Lyutyi intended to experiment on the child and promote the idea of feeding solely with sunlight.
Lyutyi also rejected traditional medical care, subjecting Kosmos to cold baths under the belief it would strengthen the baby. Since his imprisonment, Lyutyi, now 48, has abandoned his previous beliefs entirely, even consuming meat. Mironova’s mother, Galina, regrets this change did not occur sooner, expressing her opposition to her daughter being involved in Lyutyi’s sect.
When Lyutyi agreed to let his baby boy go to the hospital, it was too late. Kosmos was so malnourished he died before arrival on March 8 last year. Medics declared the 3.5-pound baby dead, leading to the arrest of both Lyutyi and Mironova. Lyutyi confessed to killing his son at his final court hearing ahead of sentencing, with prosecutors seeking an eight-and-a-half-year prison sentence and a nearly 900-pound fine.