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Blogger who threw baby in snow faces up to 10 years in prison. Who is he and how did he make his millions?
Blogger Who Threw Child Into Snow Faces Up To 10 Years In Prison. Who Is He And How Did He Earn His Millions?
Famous Russian blogger and entrepreneur Sergei Kosenko has been declared wanted, and a criminal case has been opened against him under two articles. The reason for opening the criminal case was a video in which he filmed his little son in the snow earlier this year. And although the resonant actions made Kosenko famous throughout the country, the entrepreneur had been involved in scandals more than once before. Lenta.ru explains why Kosenko became famous and why he had an ambiguous reputation.
Kosenko is mostly known as a businessman and blogger who talks about income and motivation. How to earn 5 million rubles on YouTube and Instagram (banned in Russia, owned by Meta, recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation), how to become spiritually rich and find love are the topics of some of his videos. He also records interviews and podcasts with other bloggers, entrepreneurs and experts in various fields, discussing income and personal development with them.
Kosenko started his career as an entrepreneur. He claimed that he first bought and rented headphones for testing, and then began to manufacture and sell them. After that, he began selling blankets with sleeves, sweaters, mittens, and socks. Along with the development of his business, he started a blog where he talked about his life and career.
Soon after, Kosenko began actively participating in Instagram prize draws, which required following a specific account to participate. He created his own agency for organizing lotteries. Many celebrities took part in his project.
The blogger also sold courses on cryptocurrency and self-improvement. It launched an app that offers users to earn money by walking in virtual sneakers they bought. Another of his projects is a real estate agent in Dubai. The blogger talked about opening in 2022. And recently we launched a paid Telegram channel. At the moment, a monthly subscription costs 33,000 rubles, an annual one costs 111,000 rubles.
Kosenko is in a relationship with blogger and personal growth coach Alexandra Belyakova (known as Sasha Belair) and does not live in Russia. The couple had a son, Leo, in November 2023.
Many of Kosenko's projects have drawn widespread criticism. Bloggers are often accused of distorting facts and fraud, selling useless and obvious information. One of the latest scandals related to the information business occurred during his course on how to shoot Reels on Instagram. The cost of participation in the project was 1.5 million rubles. Since then, clients have complained that the course does not contain enough useful information, and some are demanding refunds.
The blogger has repeatedly caused public outrage with the content he posts on social media. In 2020, for example, a scandal arose over a video of Kosenko from Bali speeding on a motorcycle and jumping into the sea. Indonesia expelled him a month later. The authorities explained their decision by saying that the blogger had organized a party that attracted crowds despite COVID-19 restrictions, but linked his expulsion on a motorcycle to an earlier video.
In November 2023, shortly before the birth of their child, Kosenko and Sasha Belair hinted that their affair was a $3 million publicity deal and that the blogger was pregnant by another man. However, they denied their statement and subsequently accused subscribers of deceiving them for the sake of hype.
Last January, Kosenko posted a video on Instagram showing a child falling and falling in the snow after being thrown into a snowdrift. Many followers were worried about the child and accused the blogger of putting the child's health at risk. Kosenko herself initially claimed that her two-month-old son really did appear in the video, but after the scandal broke, she revealed that she had actually used a doll for filming and resorted to editing. He also apologized to his followers.
The Chairman of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, was ordered to initiate a criminal case against the bloggers who committed illegal acts against children. He also instructed to resolve the issue of a tax investigation against Kosenko.
In October last year, the Investigative Committee of Russia (IC) opened a case against Kosenko under two articles of the Criminal Code. The blogger was charged with failure to fulfill alimony obligations and attempting to cause serious bodily harm to a helpless minor. He could face up to 10 years in prison.
The Russian Interior Ministry has put the blogger on the wanted list. In addition, it is known that the department is conducting a psychological and linguistic examination of Kosenko's video.
In addition, a Moscow court confiscated all of the blogger's accounts in Russian banks. The total amount of confiscated funds was more than 206 million rubles. It was stated that Kosenko would earn this amount in 2023.