A pro-Putin Chilean-American filmmaker who wasimprisoned in Ukraine over allegations of spreading Russian propaganda has died in jail.
Gonzalo Lira, a 55-year-old YouTuber and film director who was born in Burbank, California, and spent part of his childhood in the Los Angeles area, died in a Ukrainian jail on Friday, the State Department confirmed to Fox News Digital.
“We can confirm the death of U.S. citizen Gonzalo Lira in Ukraine,” a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss.”
The spokesperson added that the department stands “ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance,” but would have no further comment “out of respect from the family during this difficult time.”
Gonzalo Lira, a 55-year-old YouTuber and Zelensky critic, has died in prison.Gonzalo Lira / X
Lira gained a following posting pro-Russian content that justified Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a report from Newsweek, a criminal offense under Ukrainian law.
He was initially jailed in May 2023 but was released on bail. He was jailed again after posting a video hinting that he was going to leave the country, being arrested again for allegedly breaching the conditions of his bail.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint press conference with European Council President Charles Michel and President of Moldova Maia Sandu in Kyiv, Ukraine.ZUMAPRESS.com Newsweek also reported that Lira made many controversial posts before being picked up by Ukrainian authorities, including labeling Ukrainian President Volodymry Zelenskyy a “cokehead” and praising Putin’s “special military operation” as “one of the most brilliant invasions in military history.”
The Ukrainian government’s Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security said Lira was arrested for “justifying Russian aggression against Ukraine,” according to Newsweek, a violation of Article 463-2 of Ukrainian criminal law.
Iran has claimed responsibility for missile strikes thatexploded near the US consulatein Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region Monday.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they targeted “spy headquarters and the gathering of anti-Iranian terrorist groups” near Erbil, the capital and most populated city in Kurdistan.
Four civilians were killed and six more were wounded in the attack, the security council of the Kurdish regional government said.
No US facilities were struck or damaged, a US official told the Associated Press.
Iran said it struck the headquarters of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency in a statement claiming responsibility for the strikes.
Four civilians were killed and six more were wounded in the attack, the security council of the Kurdish regional government said.No US facilities were struck or damaged, a US official told the Associated Press. In a separate, but concurrent attack, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they also struck “terrorist operations” including Islamic State targets in Syria.
Former President Donald Trump was projected to win the Iowa caucus in a blowout Monday night — confirming his standing as the clear front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination.
With hundreds of caucus meetings across the Hawkeye State still in progress, media outlets called Trump as the winner with fewer than 10 precincts having reported their vote tallies to the Iowa Republican Party.
With less than 0.5% of the expected vote in, Trump had 70% support, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (15%), former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (8%) and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (6%).
If the early trends hold, the 77-year-old is on track to record both the biggest margin of victory in the modern history of the Iowa caucus, dating back to 1972, and become the first Republican candidate to get more than 50% support in a contested caucus.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures after speaking at a caucus site at Horizon Events Center, in Clive, Iowa, Monday.AP
Republican presidential candidate businessman Vivek Ramaswamy visits a caucus site at Horizon Events Center.AP
The shocking outcome is a particular blow to DeSantis, who invested heavily in a ground game operation that failed to overcome the former president’s popularity among Iowa voters, particularly after Trump was hit with four criminal indictments beginning in March of last year.
Despite the result, DeSantis told reporters earlier Monday he would remain in the race even if he finished third behind Trump and Haley.
The Florida governor, 45, was scheduled to fly to South Carolina for an event Tuesday morning before heading north to New Hampshire for an evening event.
A sign announcing the Iowa win of US President and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump is displayed at a watch party during the 2024 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses in Des Moines.AFP via Getty Images
Ron DeSantis attends a campaign event ahead of the Iowa caucus vote in Ankeny, Iowa, U.S., January 14, 2024.REUTERS
Haley, 51, had tried to avoid naming specific expectations for her performance, implying she would be happy with a top-three finish before moving on to New Hampshire — where the primary electorate is more moderate and less dominated by social conservatives and evangelicals than Iowa — and her home state of South Carolina.
“The expectations that have been set is that Donald Trump is going to win over 50% of the vote, and Ron DeSantis is going to win,” former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, a top Haley surrogate, told The Post after last week’s debate between Haley and DeSantis at Drake University in Des Moines.
Former UN Ambassador and 2024 presidential hopeful Nikki Haley makes an appearance to invite caucus goers to caucus for her at Franklin Jr. High School in Des Moines.AFP via Getty Images
“Neither of those things can happen.”
Trump’s campaign had been planning on a blowout win in the first-in-the-nation caucus, with his team rolling out a “10 for Trump” strategy relying on caucus captains to recruit new or irregular participants to put their support behind the former president.
That strategy paid off handsomely, as hats and stickers touting the former president were all the paraphernalia that could be seen at one caucus attended by a Post reporter in West Des Moines.
On the coldest caucus night on record, Iowa Republicans braved snow, icy roads, and a wind chill that made it feel like negative-30 degrees Fahrenheit.
Vivek Ramaswamy steadies himself as he recovers from a slip on the snow to an event ahead of the Iowa caucus vote in Hubbard, Iowa, U.S. January 12, 2024.REUTERS Despite the near-dangerous conditions, the White House hopefuls had urged their supporters to show up to the in-person-only vote.
Trump and his rivals don’t have much time to digest Monday’s results, as the Republican primary calendar shifts to New Hampshire and the Jan. 23 first-in-the-nation primary — where polls have shown Haley closing a double-digit gap in support.
