Russian food influencer jailed for starving newborn son, feeding him only sunlight for superhuman powers

A Russian influencer, Maxim Lyutyi, who promotes a raw food diet on social media, has been jailed for starving his son by putting him on a “sunshine diet”. The 44-year-old is sentenced to eight years' imprisonment in a penal colony.

Lyutyi wanted his baby boy, Kosmos, to be like Superman, instead, he died of “pneumonia and emaciation”, the court said.

The court sentenced him for intentionally putting the newborn on a strict diet that deprived him of all kinds of nutritional food and forced the child to go on for hours only “feeding on the sun”.

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Lyutyi was found guilty by a court in Sochi for the intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm on the child.

Influencer also stopped wife from breastfeeding the newborn

The court said the influencer also stopped his partner Oxsana Mironova from breastfeeding the child as per The Sun. Mironova had earlier said that she was just a “slave” to his extreme diet partner.

News outlet Mash said Lyutyi used to take the boy away from Mironova for a day at a time and douse him in cold water in order to "harden him." Despite the suffering, the child was not taken to doctors.

Mironova also alleged that due to her diet (as suggested by Lyutyi) she suffered from an iron deficiency which then caused problems for the child who weighed just three-and-a-half pounds at birth.

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Lawyer Alexey Avanesyan told the court, "Several years before meeting Lyutyi, Mironova opted for the vegan lifestyle. Premature babies, children of mothers suffering from iron deficiency anaemia during pregnancy are at risk."

In his last court appearance, Lyutyi pleaded guilty to the death of his child due to his “negligence”.

"If I knew that my son was born prematurely, that his mother had contraindications for pregnancy, then at the first symptoms of the child's illness I would immediately contact a hospital, regardless of the wishes and beliefs of the mother," he said according to The Sun.

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He reportedly told a judge that he never intended to kill his son and that he loved him. The father was also fined £860 (approx $1072). Lyutyi reportedly tried to blame the child's death on his partner.

(With inputs from agencies)