Gonzalo Lira

movement = Manosphere, Russophilia, Pinochetism

Gonzalo Ángel Quintilio Lira López (, February 29, 1968 – January 12, 2024) was a Chilean-American, at various times in his life novelist, screenwriter, filmmaker, self-styled dating coach, YouTuber, political commentator, blogger and vlogger. At one point in his career as a novelist, Lira was described as the "highest-paid Chilean writer in the world". Lira would later become involved in the manosphere, posting anti-feminist content under the name Coach Red Pill.

By the time of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Lira had been living in Ukraine for years, and as a resident of Kharkiv, Lira started vlogging about the Russian invasion, soon being described by Ukrainian officials and Western researchers and media as spreading Russian disinformation and propaganda.

In April 2022, Lira disappeared briefly in Ukraine, stating upon his release he had been detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). In May 2023, Lira was again arrested by the SBU, and this time charged with "producing and publishing material that tried to justify the ongoing Russian invasion", something illegal under Ukrainian law. Lira was released on bail and subsequently tried to flee the country. He was arrested again for violating his bail conditions, and died of pneumonia in custody on January 12, 2024.

Early life Lira was born to Chilean parents in Burbank, California, and grew up in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles; Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Santiago, Chile, among other places. He graduated from Saint George's College, Santiago in 1985. Lira received an advance of one million U.S. dollars for the novel and a follow-up, Lira published a second English-language book, another spy thriller titled Acrobat, in 2002, the movie rights to which were bought by Miramax. In 2005, he filmed Secuestro in Chile, which came in second in the box office in Chile following its opening weekend.

From 2010 to 2013, Lira published his thoughts on economics and other subjects on his personal blog, some of which were reposted by Business Insider, though a majority of his articles have since been removed. He also contributed to Zero Hedge, a far-right financial and geopolitics website.

In 2017, Lira became an active YouTuber, initially under the pseudonym Coach Red Pill (CRP), an allusion to Red Pill and Black Pill symbolism in the manosphere community. The content was misogynistic In November 2021, Lira deleted most of his CRP content and began posting under his legal name. He was also a declared Pinochetist, making videos and publications on social media in this regard. His content, which has been described as Russian propaganda and disinformation, was amplified on social media by Kremlin-linked accounts and praised by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Arrest and prosecution On April 15, 2022, friends and family of Lira said that they had lost touch with him, after which Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs began searching for his whereabouts. American spokesperson for Ukraine's Territorial Defence Forces Sarah Ashton-Cirillo reported Lira's apparent capture by Ukrainian forces on April 18. Lira became the subject of conspiracy theories surrounding his alleged murder; however he resurfaced alive on April 22, 2022, stating that he had been detained by the SBU for the period he was missing.

On May 1, 2023, Lira was arrested for violating Article 436-2 of Ukraine's criminal code, which prohibits justification of Russia's ongoing invasion of the country. His arrest was reported by the SBU on May 5. Lira was subsequently released on bail and placed under house arrest. He returned to social media stating he had been tortured while imprisoned, an allegation denied by the SBU.

In December 2023, Elon Musk, CEO of X (formerly Twitter), publicly inquired about Lira on his platform, in response to a post by media personality Tucker Carlson calling Lira a political prisoner. The SBU responded that Lira had been detained in accordance with the law. Musk's post was also labeled with a Community Note explaining the nature of Lira's charges, after which Musk said that the note had been "gamed by state actors". In a Business Insider interview that month, American spokesperson for Ukraine's Territorial Defence Forces Sarah Ashton-Cirillo asserted that Lira had fabricated his torture accusations in an effort to gain sympathy. This was then confirmed by the United States Department of State and Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His cause of death was reported to be pneumonia. In a letter, Lira had written of having pneumonia and other health issues, which he said had been ignored by the prison. Russian officials, including Maria Zakharova and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, repeated this claim, as did some Western political figures.

In August 2025, the US Department of State referred to his case on the 2024 Report on Human Rights practices in Ukraine, stating that Lira "died of illness that could have resulted from neglect or improper treatment".

Filmography So Kinky (1998) – writer, director. Secuestro (2005) aka Catalina's Kidnapping – co-writer, co-producer, director.

Publications