Influencer Sent to Jail for Starving Newborn Son to Death by Feeding Only Sunlight

A Russian influencer, Maxim Lyutyi, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for the death of his one-month-old son. Lyutyi believed that exposing the baby, named Kosmos, to sunlight would grant him superhuman abilities. Tragically, the infant died of malnutrition and pneumonia while being rushed to the hospital in Sochi.

Lyutyi had expected an early release based on a social media post in January. However, he is now facing 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. Kosmos was born at home because Lyutyi refused to let the boy’s mother, Oksana Mironova, go to a maternity hospital.

Lyutyi initiated a regimen for the infant centered around a strictly vegan ‘prana’ diet, emphasizing foods such as berries believed to enhance the body’s spiritual energy. He also rejected traditional medical care and subjected Kosmos to cold baths, believing it would strengthen the baby. During his imprisonment, Lyutyi has completely abandoned his previous beliefs, even consuming meat.

Mironova’s family expressed regret that she was involved with Lyutyi. Reports indicate that she was forced not to feed the baby and was secretly trying to breastfeed him, but she was afraid of Maxim. By the time Lyutyi agreed to let his baby boy go to the hospital, it was already too late.

Kosmos was so malnourished he died before he got there on March 8 last year. Medics declared the 3.5-pound baby dead, and both Lyutyi and Mironova were arrested. The influencer finally confessed to killing his son when he appeared at his final court hearing ahead of his sentencing this week.

Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of eight and a half years in prison and a nearly 900-pound fine.