Pro-Russian blogger and misogynist dating coach Gonzalo Lira, also known as “Coach Red Pill” online, has been arrested by Ukrainian authorities on charges of wartime propaganda.
Lira, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Chile, had been living in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv where he’d become a controversial online personality by spreading misinformation that attempted to justify Putin’s armed invasion of Ukraine.
On May 1, members of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) arrested Lira at his home, citing article 436-2 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, which pertains to wartime propaganda. News of the arrest was announced Friday by the SBU, and Lira now faces five to eight years behind bars, with an investigation still ongoing, reports the Daily Beast.
An SBU spokesperson stated that “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.”
Prior to focusing on the Russian-Ukrainian war, Lira made videos on social media promoting himself as a dating coach, in which he’d offer advice like, “Never date a woman in her 30s,” or the idea that the only things women desire are money, a house and kids.
He called himself “Coach Red Pill,” referring to the term “red-pilled” — found in certain corners of the internet, and which comes from the “Matrix” films — which supposedly describes someone who has become enlightened to the the truths in our reality.
But since the war broke out, Lira moved away from giving dating advice. Instead, he focused on filming Ukrainian soldiers, attempting to discredit their service, and following American reporters on the ground while calling them “system pig journalists.”
Lira also disseminated multiple debunked conspiracy theories on his channels, including Russian claims of locating “American bioweapons labs” in Ukraine.
Currently, Lira’s YouTube channel has over 300,000 subscribers.