Blogger sentenced to eight years for forcing his baby to feed on energy of the sun

A court of Sochi sentenced blogger Maxim Lyuty to eight years in a maximum security colony over the death of his child. The baby died of exhaustion.

The blogger will serve his sentence in a maximum security colony. He will also have to pay the fine of 100,000 rubles (about $1,000). Prosecutors sought eight and a half years for the blogger.

Maxim Lyuty advocated giving up food and feeding on the energy of the sun. In March 2023, the 43-year-old blogger was detained in Sochi. The man was charged with Part 4 of Art. 111 of the Criminal Code (intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm against a minor), as well as Art. 156 of the Criminal Code (improper performance of educational duties).

In February 2023, the man's live-in girlfriend gave birth to a child at home. Over the course of the next month, the father took the baby from the mother on three occasions and deprived the child of food for 24 hours. The parents did not request medical assistance either during childbirth or during breastfeeding. When the newborn's health deteriorated, the couple took him to the hospital, but the baby died on the way.

The baby's mother was detained two days earlier than Lyuty. In September 2023, she was sentenced to two years of correctional labor.

The blogger's defence lawyers intend to appeal his verdict.

"Yes, we will appeal the verdict, we consider it unfair,” lawyer Aleksei Avanesyan told RBC. He noted that the child's mother was sentenced to two years of correctional labor and was already free.

"At the same time, the father was sentenced to eight years of strict regime for the same,” the lawyer said.

According to him, the defence will seek to reclassify the charges.