In St. Petersburg, a couple was sentenced for causing the death of their six-year-old son due to distrust in medicine. When the little boy complained of chest pain, his parents gave him a nettle infusion.
Herbal infusions instead of medicines, energy practices, and sleeping on the floor for overall health — this is how 6-year-old Yaromir lived. Such "home therapy" ended in tragedy.
The boy's parents were found guilty of causing death by negligence. The court sentenced them to a one-year restriction of freedom. The reason for such a lenient sentence could have been the presence of a newborn child in the couple's family.
No Meat, Medicines, or “Chemicals”
Valentina and Sergey have been together for over ten years. The couple adheres to "Rodnoverie" (a modern version of Slavic paganism) and a healthy lifestyle. However, their understanding of a healthy lifestyle is quite radical.
They lived in conditions that can be confidently described as Spartan: they did not eat meat, slept on the floor without mattresses, and avoided any "chemicals," which included even cleaning powders. Their household was old-fashioned — washing by hand with soap.
In these conditions, little Yaromir was raised. He was born at home, did not attend kindergarten, and had never seen a doctor, despite numerous alarming signs. As acquaintances reported, the boy often fell ill, and sometimes he experienced severe chest pain, even losing consciousness. Valentina and Sergey treated him with homemade "potions" made from herbs and massages.
Nettle Cannot Overcome Infection
On February 15, 2025, Yaromir once again complained to his mother about chest pain. Valentina opened the window to let in fresh air and reached for another nettle infusion. However, the child was already starting to suffocate. Frightened, Sergey did what he had previously avoided and called an ambulance. But the medics who arrived could only confirm the child's death.
According to court materials, the primary cause of death was an infectious disease. This could have been avoided if Valentina and Sergey had sought qualified medical help in a timely manner.
"The child needed dynamic medical supervision, which the parents failed to provide, thus causing death by negligence," noted the Unified Press Service of the Courts of St. Petersburg.
No Faith in Doctors
In his defense, Sergey told investigators that his trust in medicine was undermined by his mother's death. According to him, doctors were unable to cure her of cancer. Therefore, the couple engaged in self-treatment for their son. Although the benefits of some herbs are widely recognized, indulging in such practices without doctors' knowledge and refusing medications usually does not lead to good outcomes.
On May 14, 2026, the Krasnoselsky District Court of St. Petersburg announced the verdict. The usual sanction for this article: corrective labor for up to two years, or restriction of freedom for up to two years, or forced labor for up to two years, or imprisonment for the same period. However, since Sergey and Valentina had recently become parents again and were being held criminally liable for the first time, the court imposed a one-year restriction of freedom.
One can only hope that now that they are parents again, Valentina and Sergey will not repeat their old mistakes.
