A sinister online troll who sought to manipulate children and teenagers to commit suicide has been jailed in Russia.
Ilya Pogiblov, 28, was sentenced to nine years by a court in Novosibirsk for creating a so-called Blue Whale social media group.
He had a ‘pathological interest in the death of others’, said the Russian Investigative Committee.
Pogiblov ‘led activity aimed at inducing an indefinite number of persons to commit suicide’.
Children and teenagers who joined the group were set a series of tasks by curators like Pogiblov to complete – the final one being to take their own lives.
‘The group was organised in 2023,’ said the committee.
‘Communication took place in messengers.
‘By persuasion Pogiblov tried to force potential victims, including children, to perform special tasks to prepare for suicide.
Ilya Pogiblov (pictured) was sentenced to nine years by a court in Novosibirsk for creating a so-called Blue Whale social media group.
Mykyta Kovalchuk (pictured) survived a suicide attempt after being goaded into it by a Blue Whale group
The challenge is believed to have originated in Russia, and encourages participants to undertake tasks that risk self-harm
‘Their essence was to cause bodily harm to themselves that was dangerous to life.’
Law enforcement believe they intervened before he was able to force anyone to kill themselves.
He was convicted of ‘organising activities aimed at inciting suicide’ of minors via the internet, and leading children to break the law.
Pogiblov – pictured in court – ‘admitted guilt in full’, reported Ren TV.
He bowed his head as a judge told him he was jailed in a ‘strict regime’ penal colony for nine years.
The lethal Blue Whale ‘game’ involves 50 tasks in as many days, aimed at ‘creating psychologically traumatising situations’, ending with suicide.
Participants join a ‘group’ where the tasks are set by a group ‘administrator’ and can range from watching horror movies to waking at strange hours, and eventually progresses to self harming.
On the 50th day, the controlling manipulators behind the game, which originated in Russia in 2015, reportedly instruct the participants, who are usually teenagers, to kill themselves.
The game, which reportedly started in Russia, has caused numerous deaths around the world, including Ukraine, India and the United States.
The game is heavily linked with the name Jonathan Galindo, a man that may also be seen with his face painted like Mickey Mouse or a dog.
In 2023, the mother of a Ukrainian schoolboy who survived the Blue Whale suicide ‘game’ shared her concerns that the abusers ‘will hunt her son again until they kill him’.
Olga Tkachenko and her son, Mykyta Kovalchuk shared their story during a talk show and warned others not to get hooked by the perpetrators who drive children and teenagers to suicide.
‘I want to warn parents about such situations that break the lives and destinies of many,’ said the mother in a recent television interview.
He was given a nine-year sentence in a harsh penal colony
In September 2022, Mykyta jumped from a six-storey balcony in Kyiv, Ukraine, while carrying out his final challenge given him by a Blue Whale ‘mentor’.
It happened after Mykyta came home from school feeling not well and Olga left their apartment to buy medicine to reduce his fever.
While she was away, the boy reportedly drank some alcohol, went to the balcony and climbed to the windowsill.
He drew Valentine’s heart on the glass of a balcony window before stepping out, according to reports.
When mother returned home, she met police officers and neighbours near the front door of her apartment. They told her that Mykyta had just been taken to hospital in critical condition.
‘He was a well-behaved child and good at studying. He had everything he needed. I could not understand how it could happen to him and to my family,’ Olga said.
For Mykyta’s luck, he avoided fatal damage to his internal organs or bones after falling from 66ft height.
‘Mykyta was in severe condition but his spinal cord was not damaged and it gave us hope,’ the mother said.
The next two months the boy spent in hospital, half of this period in intensive care.
Though he survived, his mother believes that ‘his abusers will hunt him again and that his life is still in danger’.
‘I live in constant anxiety and fear for my son’s life. I fear they will find him again to get the job done this time,’ Olga said.
Experts previously warned parents of the dangers of the online game.
Speaking to MailOnline, Dr Mark Griffiths, professor of behavioural addiction at Nottingham Trent University urged parents to be aware of changes in their children’s mood.
He said: ‘If the game even really exists, those in control of the game prey on young impressionable individuals (i.e., young teenagers) particularly those who are depressed and socially withdrawn.’
Carolyn Bunting MBE, Co-CEO of Internet Matters, a non-profit online safety organisation also told MailOnline: ‘No matter how digitally savvy you might think your children are, they can still be vulnerable, often not having the critical thinking and emotional maturity to deal with harmful content that can be available online.’
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