A woman allegedly filmed herself beating her two-year-old in order to send the video to her ex-husband who left them.
The mother, known only as Tatiana, is being investigated by police in the southwestern Russian city of Rostov-On-Don.
Disturbing footage shows the toddler Sasha shielding his face with his arms as Tatiana shouts and swears in Russian.
An unnamed relative, who claimed to have received the video, said: ‘She was blackmailing her husband with these videos and was sending them to his sister.’
Doctors said that although Sasha’s little body had been bruised, he isn’t likely to have suffered permanent injury.
However, his family told local media they were still worried about the psychological impact the violence could have on him.
For example, they claim he has become increasingly shy and is now refusing to speak to any adults.
Sasha’s paternal aunt and grandmother are now fighting for custody of him.
