Dad being hunted by police for throwing two-month-old baby into deep snow for likes

A Russian influencer and crypto tycoon is being hunted by police after posting a viral video of him tossing a two-month old baby into a pile of thick snow.

Sergei Kosenko, better known as Mr Thank You, has over 46.5 million Instagram followers.

But an arrest warrant has been issued and his assets have been frozen after the distressing viral video of him tossing an infant made international headlines and provoked outrage when it was posted online last January.

In a statement, the Russian authorities said: ‘The accused threw the child away from himself and upward, allowing him to fall from a height. The criminal intent was not completed due to the child’s fall being softened by the snow cover.’

The Russian authorities have now issued an arrest warrant and 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 arrives on Russian soil.

Sergei Zhorin, the suspect’s lawyer, told local media that his client was ready to cooperate with law enforcement and provide the original video footage.

The lawyer claimed that the child was not actually used for the filming and that the ‘video was filmed using a dummy and editing.’

But this has not stopped the Russian authorities from placing him on a wanted list on charges of attempted intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm to a minor and failure to fulfil his duties to raise a minor.

They have also frozen the influencer’s bank accounts in Russia, with local media saying that the authorities have frozen RUB 206 million (GBP 1.6 million) distributed across 43 bank accounts.

If convicted, Kosenko, who is one of Russia’s top content creators, faces up to 10 years in prison.

The influencer currently lives abroad, with reports saying that he splits his time between Los Angeles and Dubai.