Police are looking for influencer father who ‘threw his baby in the snow to post online’
These images appear to show a Russian influencer and crypto mogul recklessly throwing his young son into a deep snowdrift for online likes, and has led to the court issuing an arrest warrant for him.
Sergei Kosenko, known as Mr Thank You, is a self-described ‘actor, singer, influencer, entrepreneur’ with 46.6 million followers on Instagram.
The disturbing footage of Mr Kosenko throwing the boy, who the Moscow Times reported was two months old at the time of the incident, into the air and apparently dropping him into a deep snowbank was originally posted in January 2024.
The clip quickly went viral, generating international headlines and a huge backlash, after which Kosenko deleted the post.
The influencer claims he actually used a fake child and clever editing and did not endanger his son.
However, the clip came to the attention of Russian authorities, who have now issued an arrest warrant for Mr Kosenko.
The arrest warrant was issued in his absence by the Basmanny Court of the city of Moscow, which also ordered that his assets in Russia be frozen.
Russian authorities said in a statement: ‘The suspect threw the child away from him and up, causing him to fall from a height.
Mr. Kosenko dangles his then two-month-old son over the snowbank in preparation for the viral stunt

Mr. Kosenko’s child at the moment of impact, dressed in a small panda costume, before disappearing under the deep snow

Russian millionaire influencer Sergei Kosenko, known as Mr Thank You, pictured on a plane with his young son
“The criminal intent was not completed because the child’s fall was softened by the snow cover.”
Russian authorities have ordered that the influencer be extradited to Russia to face charges.
They also ordered that he be detained for two months from the moment he arrived on Russian territory.
Sergei Zhorin, the suspect’s lawyer, told local media that his client was willing to cooperate with law enforcement and provide the original video footage.
The lawyer claimed that the child was not actually used in the shooting and that the “video was filmed with a dummy and editing.”
But this has not stopped Russian authorities from placing him on a wanted list on charges of attempting to intentionally inflict grievous bodily harm on a minor and failing to fulfill his duties to raise a minor.
They have also frozen the influencer’s bank accounts in Russia, with local media saying authorities have frozen RUB206 million (£1.6 million) across 43 bank accounts.
If convicted, Kosenko, one of Russia’s biggest content creators, faces up to 10 years in prison.
The influencer currently lives abroad and reports say he divides his time between Los Angeles and Dubai.
Kosenko previously sparked controversy in 2021 after a stunt in which he drove a car through Moscow with a woman taped to the roof.