Russia’s top investigator has ordered a criminal probe into popular Russian blogger Sergei Kosenko after a video of him throwing his 2-month-old son into a snowbank went viral.
Kosenko faced backlash this week after he shared the video of him tossing the child with his 6.9 million Instagram followers.
The blogger later deleted the video but he continued to receive threats of criminal prosecution, including from senior Russian lawmakers.
Alexander Bastrykin, who heads Russia’s Investigative Committee, has ordered criminal proceedings against Kosenko “following requests by members of state bodies and public institutions,” the law enforcement agency said.
Kosenko will be investigated for “unlawful acts against a newborn child” and for compliance with tax laws, the Investigative Committee said without specifying which article of the Russian Criminal Code under which he has been charged.
The investigative authority noted that Kosenko currently resides outside Russia and that Moscow could seek his extradition.
The scandal comes amid a recent string of public fallouts involving celebrities, including a “nearly naked” party in late December.
Kosenko previously sparked controversy in 2021 for driving around Moscow with a young woman taped to the roof of the car.
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