The influencer eventually confessed to killing his son when he appeared at his final hearing
A Russian influencer, Maxim Lyutyi, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for the death of his one-month-old son. Lyutyi reportedly believed that exposing the baby, named Kosmos, to sunlight would give him superhuman abilities. Tragically, the child died of malnutrition and pneumonia while being rushed to hospital in Sochi. Lyutyi had expected an early release based on a social media post in January.
He has now spent more than eight years behind bars in a maximum security prison for ‘intentionally causing grievous bodily harm’ after changing his plea to guilty at the last minute last week.
Subway reported that Kosmos was born at home because Lyutyi refused to let the boy’s mother, Oksana Mironova, go to a maternity hospital.
Lyutyi then initiated a regimen for the child, focusing on a strict vegan ‘prana’ diet, with an emphasis on foods such as berries that were believed to enhance the body’s spiritual energy.
A more extreme variant, known as Ademarianism, goes so far as to propose that sustenance can be derived solely from sunlight.
Mironova’s cousin Olesya Nikolayeva expressed her dismay, saying, “He didn’t force her to feed the baby.” Her friend believed that the sun nourished the baby.
“Oksana secretly tried to breastfeed the baby, but she was very afraid of Maxim.
“How is it possible to feed the baby with sunlight? A baby needs its mother’s milk.”
The influencer wanted to “experiment with the child and feed him purely with the sun, and then advertise to others that you can eat like this,” the media reported.
Reports emerged that Lyutyi also rejected traditional medical care and subjected Kosmos to cold baths, believing this would strengthen the baby. Interestingly, during his captivity, the now 48-year-old Lyutyi completely abandoned his previous beliefs and even consumed meat. Mironova’s mother, Galina, regretted that this change did not happen sooner.
She said, “I was against my daughter joining this sect.
‘I felt everything and told her that Maxim was crazy, but she didn’t listen to me.
‘Oksana lived there like a guinea pig. Each time she grew colder towards me… She was his slave.’
Another family member said, “She often wanted to leave him, but he stopped her.
“He wanted to raise [his son into] a man who eats only the sun.’
By the time Lyutyi agreed to let his son go to the hospital, it was already too late. Kosmos was so malnourished that he died before arriving there on March 8 last year, Metro reported.
Medics pronounced the 3.5-pound baby dead and both Lyutyi and Mironova were arrested.
The influencer ultimately confessed to killing his son when he appeared at his final court appearance ahead of his sentencing this week.
Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of eight and a half years and a fine of almost £900.
