‘Red Pill’ Dating Coach Gonzalo Lira, Accused of Shilling for Putin, Is Arrested in Ukraine

The Daily Beast ^ | May 5, 2023 | Julia Davis

[Widget Jr]

Gonzalo Lira, a prolific online personality who became an outspoken supporter of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, had his home in Kharkiv raided by the security services.

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has arrested Gonzalo Lira—a dual citizen of the United States and Chile, who has been living in Kharkiv—on charges of producing pro-Russian propaganda.

Lira, a prolific and controversial online personality, is accused of creating and disseminating materials that justify Putin’s armed aggression against Ukraine. He is facing the possibility of being imprisoned for five to eight years.

Lira, a former online dating coach, was arrested on May 1st at his residence in Kharkiv, according to two sources familiar with the investigation. Ukrainian authorities claim that the search of his home revealed additional evidence of his unlawful activities, including data found on his cell phone and his computer.

The SBU announced on Friday that an unnamed foreign blogger had been arrested and the Kharkiv prosecutor’s office posted a blurred video of Lira on its YouTube channel. The Daily Beast has obtained a longer version of the footage, which shows the arrest and raid on his home.

Lira was charged under article 436-2 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, parts 2 and 3, pertaining to wartime propaganda. He will remain in jail as the case moves forward and an active investigation is still underway.

An SBU spokesperson said that after the start of the full-scale invasion, “the blogger was one of the first to support the Russian invaders and glorify their war crimes... Additionally, in his comments he disputed the details of Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and mass murders of civilians.”

Lira is a blogger, who made a transition from offering sleazy “dating coach” advice to men as “Coach Red Pill,” to providing propaganda fodder for the Russian state media that eagerly picked up and disseminated his multiple dispatches from Ukraine. In his videos, Lira insulted the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, and described Ukrainians defending their land from Russian invaders as “armed criminals.” Ukrainian authorities allege that Lira filmed Ukrainian soldiers, making a specific effort to capture their likeness and attempting to discredit their military service.

Lira also charted his efforts to follow American reporters covering the conflict in Ukraine, describing them as “system pig journalists” and revealing their whereabouts in specific hotels. Lira commented: “They’re here to report how they led Ukraine up the garden path and now Ukraine is f’d! These are the people pushing the narrative, so you can see them. See them real good!”

American journalist Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, who is currently serving in Ukraine’s Armed Forces, said she is slated to be one of the witnesses in the criminal case against Lira. She told The Daily Beast: “This justice has been a long time coming. Obviously, when I was accused by Maria Zakharova and the Russian MFA of being complicit in Gonzalo Lira's disappearance last year, it set off a lynch mob of his supporters accusing me of murder. His arrest this week shows that Ukrainian officials don’t bow to popular pressure when a factual investigation leads to the truth.”

Ashton-Cirillo added: “I’ve already given my sworn statement to SBU about Gonzalo Lira several months ago and expect to be called as a witness in his prosecution.”

За клопотанням прокуратури взято під варту іноземного блогера, який публічно підтримував дії рф
(For the accusations of the prosecutor's office, a foreign blogger, who publicly supported the Russian Federation, was taken) Харківська обласна прокуратура
Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYmc7XTiCOA

Lira blamed Ukraine for being attacked by Russia, describing the ongoing war as “one of the most brilliant invasions in military history.” He defended Putin’s motives, claiming that the Russians were taking special pains to avoid damaging civilian infrastructure or harming civilians and predicting that Ukraine would flourish under Russia’s control.

He disseminated a number of debunked conspiracy theories, including Russian allegations of locating “American bioweapons labs” in Ukraine. Sources involved in the investigation say that Lira’s appearance on The Donbass Devushka’s show prompted additional scrutiny of Lira’s activities, which were being monitored after his questioning and release last year.

The online personality posted a slew of videos and commentary on YouTube, Telegram and Twitter, attempting to pin the blame on Ukraine for the strikes conducted by the Russian Federation. Russian state TV touted his video blogs as valuable reporting by an unbiased observer, featuring them on various shows and praising his efforts. Lira’s YouTube and Telegram following exceeded a combined 300,000 subscribers.

[Widget Jr]

This was a long time coming. Lira is going to get what he deserves. Some background information on him. I've pieced this together mostly from a youtuber going by "Lazerpig" who is a interested, unusually, and frequently foul mouthed character. Take with as many grains of salt as you like.

There is a reason Gonzalo Lira was arrested last year in Ukraine. He was spying for Russia by taking photographs of Ukrainian military positions around Kharkiv and getting paid for it by Russia. When he was caught, he made a plea deal and gave up five Russian agents. The deal was he was under house arrest and would be prosecuted after the war, or he could leave Ukraine. After a while the fear of the FSB got to him and he self deported to Poland, then the Netherlands.

For most of the last year, while he was pretending he was live streaming in Kharkiv, he was actually in the Netherlands. During one of his live streams where he was claiming he was in Kharkiv, Kharkiv was under full blackout. There was no electricity. He could not possibly be in Kharkiv. During his infamous online debate with "Destiny" and "lazerpig" he let it slip he was living in the Netherlands.

While he was pretending to live in Kharkiv, he was one of the more well known of the online pro-Russian crowd. You are known by the company you keep, anyone? To be arrested in Ukraine, he had to return to Ukraine. Maybe the fear of the FSB convinced him he would be safer under arrest in Ukraine, than walking on the streets in the Netherlands?

As I have pointed out more than once, for ten years, he has invented and reinvented his online presence as a fake economist, website thief, fake dating and pick up guru, fake MGTOW, fake alt-right, fake anti-globalist, fake pro-Russia, and fake international political expert. He is whatever he needs to be to pander to a small, disaffected segment of the internet for notoriety and make a quick buck from it.

TLDR: He's a online con artist and scammer who is finally getting what he deserves.

Comments, questions, informed critiques, ranting and raving, awkward silence?

Tear Collection Kits available at poster's expense.

🇺🇦 Слава Україні! 🇺🇦 Sláva Ukrayíni! 🇺🇦 ☭ No CCCP 2.0 ☭

[2banana]

Yeah for democracy in Ukraine...

Yeah for freedom of speech in Ukraine...

Oh wait...

[BobL]

Sounds like a cool dude, thanks for the info!

[dennisw]

Gonzalo the clown has lots of FReeper fans here.

[Wayne07]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manzanar

[Widget Jr]

Thanks for doing your part to make conservatives part of the “Stupid Party”. Lira is a online conman and scammer.

Those opposing US aid to Ukraine are his marks. Who the pro-Russian camp picks as their experts and frontmen reflects on them.

Don't like it? Find someone better.

[Widget Jr]

I know. Depressing, isn't it?

[kiryandil]

Lira is going to get what he deserves.

Spoken like a true neocon fascist.

[kiryandil]

Check our local "free speech" backers here on FR.

Gonzalo Lira was fortunate that Gidget here didn't con him into a back room at the local US consulate...

[BobL]

“Don’t like it? Find someone better.”

Actually, taking a quick look at his site, he seems pretty damn good:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfUzUq5L9NFv2GMVGbEBgkg

Thanks again for letting us know about him!

[kiryandil]

This guy is a supporter of the Ukie death list, and is posting stuff from Ukie propagandist Julia Davis of The Daily Beast With Two Backs, an ultra-Left Media slime machine.

[kiryandil]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrotvorets

[Truthsearcher]

We’re going to hear from the “what about freedom of speech” crowd.

Never mind that freedom of speech does not encompass advocating for the enemy in times of war.

[Widget Jr]

neocon fascist

You keep using those words. I do not think they mean what you think they mean.

[Its All Over Except ...]

So pro 1A Americans should celebrate he being arrested?

[kiryandil]

Never mind that freedom of speech does not encompass advocating for the enemy in times of war.

Gonzalo Lira is not a Ukrainian citizen.

He's an American and Chilean dual citizen.

[kiryandil]

You're in bed with Julia Davis.

It means exactly what I said.

[kiryandil]

So pro 1A Americans should celebrate he being arrested?

Nah - Gidget and the other neoconneds are celebrating that Lira is on the Myrotvorets death list.

They want to see garbage bags like the ones Khashoggi got carried out in.

[cabojoe]

He knew he was on that list but continued anyways. It’s sorta like the list that the war cheerleaders around here generated.

[Right_Wing_Madman]

This was a long time coming. Lira is going to get what he deserves.

Your ideology is horrific. Fortunately, like in the 1940s, it's going to all come crashing down on you.