A few years ago, a trend became very popular in Russia and unfortunately, some Western YouTubers and streamers wanted to imitate it; “trash streaming”, and one of its main promoters was Mellstroy, an influencer who rose to fame for assaulting a model in exchange for donations.

This caused Mellstroy to be permanently banned from Twitch and YouTube, forcing him to move to Kick. Surprisingly, and beyond all logic, he has one of the most popular channels on the platform and is the most subscribed among non-English-speaking streamers.

Who is Mellstroy and what did he do?

Andrey Burim, also known online as Mellstroy, was a popular 23-year-old Russian streamer, known mainly for his fun broadcasts and dark humor. However, his fame exploded in 2021, but not for a good reason, but for an outburst during a broadcast that led to his permanent expulsion from various platforms.

Mellstroy, who already had more than 680,000 followers on Twitch, gradually began to delve into the world of trash streaming, a highly questionable trend that was extremely popular in those years in Russia.

During a live broadcast he shared with his friend, 21-year-old model Alena Efremova, Burim assaulted the girl, causing injuries to her mouth and lips.

After the assault, the model sued him and demanded monetary compensation of ten million rubles, equivalent to $134,943. Mellstroy’s reaction? To mock:

“It’s a humiliatingly low amount of money; if she asked me for 30 or 40 million, I would pay.”

Alena claimed to have suffered significant damage after the assault, accusing a brain concussion and psychological damage. Once again, the YouTuber mocked, saying she was lying. He maintained this attitude during court as well, when prosecutors questioned him about the assault.

On her social media, the model posted:

“I just want him to be punished for this so it doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

Although some small YouTubers had already started with this practice, Mellstroy was the one who really popularized it in Russia, alongside Reeflay Panini, the YouTuber who caused his partner’s death by leaving her locked on the balcony of their home, without clothes and in sub-zero temperatures.

The YouTuber’s Sentence

The Presnensky District Court in Moscow sentenced Mellstroy for the physical and verbal assault of the model in July of that same year. He was found guilty of a battery offense and sentenced to 6 months of corrective labor with a 10% deduction of the convict’s salary as state income.

He was also ordered to pay the victim 72,000 rubles, around $1,000, as compensation for moral and physical damages.

According to evidence presented in court, Burim inflicted bodily harm, especially in the mouth area, causing bleeding and several lacerations.

Why was Mellstroy banned from major streaming platforms?

The YouTuber Mellstroy was permanently banned from major streaming platforms and other social networks due to the serious incident that, ironically, also brought him worldwide fame.

But beyond the serious case of violence, what ultimately led YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and other platforms to expel him was his attitude, which worsened everything. As mentioned, Mellstroy mocked Efremova‘s accusations, the psychological and physical damage she suffered. Even during the trial, he maintained a defiant and mocking attitude towards the law and those who criticized him.

The lack of remorse led social networks to decide to suspend him indefinitely, forcing him to migrate to other platforms that were emerging on the internet at the time.

What kind of legal problems has Mellstroy had throughout his career?

The content Mellstroy uploaded to his platforms, the so-called “trash streaming”, led to several legal problems, mainly related to his violent behavior and involving minors in his broadcasts:

• In 2017, he had his first legal problem for filming underage girls, whom he persuaded via video chat, either on Chatroulette or Omegle, to take off their clothes, promising likes and followers on their social networks.
• He has often been investigated for offering money to people to perform illegal or dangerous actions during his broadcasts, such as starting fights, consuming prohibited substances, stealing, among many other questionable things.
• The most recent incident occurred a couple of months ago, and although he ensured he could not be directly accused, it caused legal problems for several people by offering a reward of 300,000 euros to anyone who invaded the field during the Champions League final with his name on their shirt.

Mellstroy Today

After the incident, YouTube, Twitch, and other social networks like X and Facebook decided to permanently ban Mellstroy, so he was forced to migrate to other platforms like Kick and Trovo.

Currently, Kick is the main competitor of Twitch and is backed by Tyler Niknam, better known as Trainwreck, one of the most popular streamers at the moment. On the other hand, Trovo is a Chinese platform, owned by Tencent Games, which also owns other large companies, like Riot Games.

Broadcasts on these two platforms have increased Mellstroy’s net worth to $7.2 million by 2023. This surprised many, as being expelled from the most popular platforms, many believed his net worth would collapse, but combined with his earnings on Kick and Trovo, the streamer also has sponsorships and game providers.

He does not shy away from showing his luxurious lifestyle and extravagant parties in Moscow. Streamfinder.io statistics show that on Kick, he even gained more followers than on Twitch. Additionally, thanks to the large revenue split on this platform, he also earns more money.

In fact, he remains so relevant that in 2024, he once again grabbed the world’s media attention during the Champions League broadcast…

Mellstroy and the Champions League Final

On June 1st, Mellstroy caused a worldwide scandal during the UEFA Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid at Wembley Stadium in London. The influencer offered a reward of 300,000 euros, or $350,000, to the first fan who invaded the field during the match with a shirt bearing his name.

This led to three people jumping onto the field just 30 seconds after the initial whistle. The invaders wore a white shirt with the word “MELLSROY” printed in large letters. One even managed to take several photos with Real Madrid players before being detained.

This incident caused the match to be delayed by two minutes while security pursued the individuals. London authorities issued a statement condemning the actions and confirming that all involved were arrested.

What consequences did the field invaders face after the final?

Following the orders of such a controversial influencer like Mellstroy is not usually a good idea. In fact, the field invaders during the Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in 2024 faced several legal and financial consequences:

• Economic Fine: The invaders had to pay a fine of approximately 10,000 euros each. This fine was imposed due to the event’s disruption and the additional costs generated by the unauthorized advertising they performed by wearing shirts with Mellstroy’s name.
• Arrest and Detention: All the individuals who invaded the field were arrested by Wembley Stadium authorities. The stadium security acted quickly to detain the invaders and remove them from the field.
• Stadium Ban: In addition to fines and arrest, the invaders received a lifetime ban from entering any stadium in England. This measure was taken to prevent similar future incidents and maintain security at sporting events.

The worst part is that it is not known whether Mellstroy really paid the 300,000 euros he promised to those who invaded the field. The only thing he said after the incident was to take credit for it on social media, but neither he nor the invaders have said anything.

Certainly, sometimes the internet world is not understood. At times it has managed to unmask vile people and make them pay or at least no longer profit from harming others, but in this case, it seems Mellstroy received no punishment and was, in fact, rewarded by the internet community. As for the video, you can watch it here at your own risk.