Who is Belarusian streamer Mellstroy?
MELLSTROY found fame creating content for a twisted and terrifying online subculture.
Here’s everything you need to know about the vlogger, who has been slammed for his sickening stunts.
Who is Mellstroy?
Andrey Burim, who goes by the online moniker “Mellstroy”, is a controversial content creator from Belarus who has 3.2 million followers on Instagram and 1.19 million subscribers on Telegram.
The 25-year-old came to prominence by making and posting horrific YouTube videos aimed at a warped audience — the twisted yet lucrative online subculture known as “trash-streaming”, where its proponents inflict torture, bury people alive and even kill for cash.
The trend, which is rife in Russia, sees video makers broadcasting cruel, dangerous, and sometimes bizarre or chaotic actions live via a webcam or smartphone.
The most disturbing aspects are the depraved nature of stunts, as well as the fact that sick viewers send donations and requests for what despicable act the vlogger should carry out next.
It became so extreme that in 2021 a pregnant woman was killed and a mum-of-three was allegedly raped live on camera.
Mellstroy started cashing in on the trend by convincing girls on Chat Roulette to strip and broadcasting these interactions on YouTube.
The vlogger went on to stream alcohol and allegedly drug-fuelled parties at his Moscow apartment.
At the time his YouTube channel boasted more than half a million followers.
As thousands watched, Mellstroy collected donations from his audience to get women to strip and encourage revellers to fight.
In October 2020, Mellstroy’s lewd YouTube broadcasts came to an abrupt halt when he was arrested for allegedly beating a 21-year-old model live on air.
He was subsequently banned from YouTube, as well as other streaming platforms.
What has Mellstroy been accused of?
In October 2020, Mellstroy was arrested for allegedly beating a 21-year-old model live on air.
Alena Efremova had her face rammed into a table on multiple occasions by the then 23-year-old Mellstroy in a shocking incident that was widely viewed online.
Mellstroy repeatedly smashed her head against a table after she made a joke about his body.
The abusive scenes were broadcast to his 680,000 subscribers and left a traumatised Efremova with “a bloody mess of iron in my mouth, blood and pieces of torn skin.”
After the incident, he even mocked the model over compensation fees with the alleged victim claiming compensation of ten million roubles — £96,500.
But the deranged streamer suggested it was a humiliatingly low amount for him to pay.
“This is too small an amount of money,” he told journalists outside a Moscow court.
“If she was to ask 30 or 40 million (£289,000 or £386,000), I would have paid.
“What have I done anyway? I haven’t beaten her in any case.
“Her concussion claim is just words.”
It was later reported in the Russian media that he was found guilty and sentenced to six months of corrective labour plus a 10 per cent deduction of his salary as state revenue.
On July 1, 2024, the Champions League final was delayed by several pitch invaders wearing T-shirts with Mellstroy’s name on them.
The game between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund was held up just seconds after kick-off by three separate pitch invaders.
Posts on social media claim Mellstroy made a £300,000 open offer to anyone who invaded the pitch in a T-shirt bearing his name.
It is currently not known if the offer is legit, if the pitch invaders will be paid, or whether they are directly linked to the streamer or each other.
One of the pitch invaders — an unnamed teen — appeared in Willesden Youth Court on Wednesday, July 204, 2024.
Addressing the court, the 16-year-old said: “I just decided to do this kind of prank and I’m really sorry about that and I regret that.
“I think that it was a very futile decision.”