A disturbing video has emerged showing a father lowering his one-year-old child into freezing -30C water in Siberia.
The footage, widely shared on Russian social media, depicts Radmir Gaysarov, 31, submerging his 16-month-old toddler into an ice hole in Siberia.
While some parents have commended the act as a way to toughen the child, medical professionals have criticized the risks involved in exposing such a young child to extreme cold, with temperatures reaching -30C and the water barely above freezing.
Many in Russia believe in the advantages of ice swimming, even for infants.
In response to the video, one supportive father stated, “This is a method to toughen our kids.” A mother commented, “This is amazing… I want to teach my child too.”
Following the icy dip in Surgut, the child was presented with a ‘Walrus’ medal by an ice swimming club.
In the video, the father is heard saying in the freezing conditions, “Our little walrus is one year and four months old. The youngest among them. [His name is] Martin. Good job! Good job!”
The child appeared startled but did not cry as he was immersed three times in the cold water, with the father reassuring, “everything’s fine,” while wrapping his son in a light towel in the -30C weather.
Later that day, a local recreation center bestowed the medal upon the one-year-old and lauded his father, a wedding DJ, with center director Azamat Yakupov stating to local media, “He fearlessly entered the icy water with his father today.
“The water is 0.9°C, extremely cold, but he didn’t even cry. Today, we are awarding him a medal. Henceforth, he is one of our walruses [winter swimmers].”
However, medical experts expressed concern over the video, highlighting the child’s exposure to dangerously low temperatures unsuitable for his body.
Rita Pikhtovnikova, a Russian pediatric cardiologist, warned, “Plunging a one-year-old into an ice hole with water temperature between 0-4°C is highly stressful for the entire body, especially for an underdeveloped cardiovascular system.
“At this age, thermoregulation is still immature. Immediate