Born in Burbank, California, Gonzalo Lira came from Chilean roots, with his parents being Gonzalo Lia Valdés and María Isabel López Hess. His mother’s lineage traced back directly to José Miguel Carrera. Lira’s early years were spent traversing diverse locations, including the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Graduating from Saint George’s College in Santiago in 1985, Lira furthered his education at Dartmouth College, earning a degree in history and philosophy in 1995.
Lira has a history of transitioning between various professions. During the late ’90s, he authored pulp action novels centered around rugged individuals. In the 2000s, he briefly ventured into filmmaking, accumulating valuable experience in the realms of Hollywood.
Around 2010, he underwent a transformation, positioning himself as a purported expert in economics. Same year, he made a significant move to Ukraine, where he married with a local woman. This phase saw him contributing commentary to platforms such as Business Insider and ZeroHedge, along with making appearances as a pundit on “alternative media” programs.
Subsequently, he established residence in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, positioned in close proximity to the Russian border. Lira garnered a following for sharing online content that criticized the Ukrainian government and President Volodymyr Zelensky. He baselessly accused Ukraine’s leader of being a “cokehead” and praised the Russian operation as “one of the most brilliant invasions in military history.”
However, only a few months prior to the commencement of this conflict, he didn’t seem to portray himself as a citizen journalist, a Ukraine expert, a foreign policy enthusiast, or a war aficionado. According to Manoel Horta Ribeiro, a researcher at Switzerland’s École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, he was characterized as a “medium-sized manosphere YouTuber.”
In November 2021, Lira, using his self-coined term “nuked,” removed a substantial portion of his previous content on life and dating advice from public platforms. Subsequently, he started posting more frequently under his legal name. A review by The Daily Beast of archived mirrors revealed the deletion of this content. On his Coach Red Pill YouTube channel, he retained only one video—a concise cautionary message urging his followers to leave the Western countries before an anticipated conflict with China unfolds, purportedly hastening an ongoing descent towards totalitarian rule.
Lira had consistently asserted in public statements that he had “never been a paid agent of anyone.” He strongly condemns the use of his content in what he acknowledges as Russian propaganda. Despite echoing pro-Kremlin talking points, he insisted that he did not align with any particular side and convey objective truths based on his observations and analyses.
Ukraine’s internal security agency, the SBU, arrested Lira on May 1, 2023 and he was subsequently released on bail. After being released on house arrest, he was jailed again in July after fleeing while out on bail, though he claimed in tweets to followers at the time that it was all part of an attempt by Ukrainian authorities to “disappear” him.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, in July, Lira who had maintained silence on social media for months following his arrest by Ukrainian authorities, resurfaced with messages suggesting an attempted escape from Ukraine and said he was “arrested for my YouTube videos,” adding:
“My crime was making videos critical of the West and their proxy regime in Kiev—and how they are destroying Ukraine.”
Regarding Lira’s arrest, the Ukrainian government’s Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security, also known as SPRAVDI, stated that the YouTube personality was charged with “justifying Russian aggression against Ukraine,” contravening Article 463-2 of the country’s criminal code. Lira was supposed to remain under house in Kharkiv during his trial, but was jailed again when he fled and tried to cross the border in July.
Reports indicated that his efforts were foiled, sparking rumors of his recapture. International relations analyst Mark Sleboda corroborated on social media, asserting that Lira had sought refuge in Hungary to request political asylum but was intercepted at the Ukrainian border.
Lira’s posts outlined his harrowing experiences, including allegations of torture and extortion amounting to $70,000 during his detention. Lira added that he was tortured in prison by other inmates, which saw him beaten and sleep-deprived, with his “arms twisted the wrong way around at the shoulder.”
Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, an American journalist who became a junior sergeant in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told BI that she has testified against Lira.
She also expressed she believed the allegations of torture to be false.
“Gonzalo Lira fabricated accusations of abuse and torture in an attempt to garner sympathy. When I spoke to him shortly after his return to custody, it was evident that he was in good health and had been treated exceptionally fairly by the state security services” she stated.
Expressing skepticism about obtaining political asylum in any European Union country other than Hungary, he voiced concerns about the possibility of deportation back to Ukraine. The final communication from Lira alluded to the looming threat of being sent to a labor camp, and the subsequent silence fueled anxieties about his uncertain fate.
After that, reports about Gonzalo Lira’s declining health surfaced through communications between his father, Gonzalo Lira Sr., and the US embassy. Documents and emails exposed Lira Sr.’s efforts to notify the embassy about his son’s precarious state of health, highlighting concerns over the absence of transparency from Ukrainian authorities regarding his well-being.
The letter states, “I have experienced double pneumonia in both lungs, along with pneumothorax and a severe case of edema (body swelling). These health issues began in mid-October but were disregarded by the prison. The acknowledgment of pneumonia only occurred during a hearing on December 22. I am on the verge of undergoing a procedure to alleviate the pressure from edema in my lungs, which has led to extreme shortness of breath. This condition has caused me to pass out even after minimal activity or just speaking for two minutes.”
Despite Gonzalo Lira Sr.’s persistent attempts to seek assistance from the US embassy and ensure his son’s well-being during hospitalization, his pleas went unanswered. His worst fears were realized a week later when he received the news of his son’s passing. In an emotionally charged statement, Lira Sr. denounced both the Ukrainian and US governments for their roles in his son’s demise, attributing it to “torture, extortion, and incommunicado detention.”
The US Department of State eventually confirmed Lira’s death, extending condolences to the family but refraining from further comments. This confirmation followed Tucker Carlson’s report on Lira’s death and Elon Musk’s earlier appeals to Ukrainian President Zelensky to explain Lira’s arrest and detention.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, reply to his death:
We are urging Gonzalo Lira’s colleagues to raise their voice in defence of the prisoners of the Kiev regime. This is necessary for those that are still alive and can still fight for the truth. It is also a tribute to the memory of those that died as martyrs for the cause of freedom.
We would like to convey our most sincere condolences to Gonzalo Lira’s family and friends.
As of now, there have been no further developments or advancements in the case. The situation remains stagnant, leaving questions unanswered and concerns unresolved. Lira’s father, Gonzalo Lira Sr., is still critical of the Ukrainian and US governments, claiming that the US embassy has not been proactive in his case.
