Russian man dies on YouTube livestream after drinking 1.5-litre vodka, audience watch in horror

A 60-year-old man from Russia has reportedly died after drinking 1.5 litres of vodka while doing a YouTube live stream. The man, named in local media reports as Yuri Dushechkin, was allegedly offered money by a YouTuber in exchange for drinking liquor.

The man passed away after consuming 1.5 litres of vodka and the viewers witnessed his death as the live stream continued to record, according to Russian news website Readovka.

Dushechkin, who was nicknamed "Grandpa" in streams, was found dead in the city of Smolensk on Thursday. The security forces are looking into the matter. However, it is yet to be confirmed whether the Russian man died because of the overconsumption of vodka.

The incident is the latest in a worrying trend of "thrash streams," sometimes translated to "trash streams" in Russia, where people are asked to perform stunts, often humiliating stunts, on a live platform in return for money.

In Dushechkin's case also, viewers of the YouTube live stream donated money to encourage him to drink more, as part of "thrash" streaming. The live stream continued as Dushechkin lay on the ground before he was found dead.

The incident was livestreamed by another man who has more than 25,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel.  In other videos on the channel, the man frequently offered money to homeless people in exchange for their engaging in violent or dangerous acts, particularly acts inflicting harm on other people. Dushechkin reportedly also appeared on the channel in the past.  

Taking cognisance of the matter, Russian Senator Alexey Pushkov, chair of the Federation Council's Commission on Information Policy, has called for a ban on broadcasts that livestream violence.

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