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We got the news on Friday that Gonzalo Lira had died in Ukraine after being imprisoned there for eight months. The news first came from Lira’s family and was confirmed yesterday by the State Department. Lira was a blogger and former pickup artist online coach who was living in Ukraine when the war started and reported extensively about the war and about what life was like inside wartime Ukraine. He was very critical of Kiev and of the US. He was eventually arrested in May on charges of “justifying Russia’s aggression,” released later on bail, and arrested again for allegedly violating the conditions of his bail. According to his family, he died as a result of neglect - he had pneumonia, a collapsed lung, and other health problems they say weren’t treated appropriately. His father says he were barred from speaking with his son and rebuffed by US authorities when he sought their help to intervene.
There’s a whole spectrum of opinion on Lira and his reporting, and we did not often use him as a source on this show. But he was an American citizen held in a foreign prison and alleged to have died as a result of neglect and possibly torture. Is the Biden administration being hypocritical in its response to his death, just saying, gosh, we convey our condolences to his family?
https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/world-int/24744-the-tragic-end-of-gonzalo-lira-a-voice-silenced-in-ukraine.html
Who was the ‘tortured’ US journalist who died in Ukrainian captivity? — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union
State Dept confirms death of US journalist jailed by Ukraine – TASS — RT World News
I also just wanted to point out that one of the sources reporting on Lira’s death appears to be Yahoo, but it’s actually just Yahoo News reprinting a story from the New Voice of Ukraine, which blithely refers to outlet The Grayzone, whose contributors were the first to report Lira’s death in English, as far as I know, as a “propaganda outlet.” No explanation, no evidence that Grayzone is doing propaganda for anyone in particular for any reason. Seems … libelous!
Let’s talk about Volodymyr Zelensky at Davos. AP tells me Zelensky “lashed out” at Russian president Vladimir Putin and “urged support for Ukraine’s fight.” He’s also pushing some initiative called his “Peace Formula” that he’s trying to drum up support for among the global south. I also have to add this, from the NYT: “The war in Ukraine has been a notable, but not dominant, topic in Davos this week. Government officials and business executives from across Europe and around the world have continued to express support for Ukraine and voice concerns that it is losing outside financial support at a critical time, but they have also pushed publicly and privately for a diplomatic end to the war.” Ouch. What’s Zelensky asking for in Davos, what’s this Peace Formula, and is it going to get African, Latin American and other global south nations on Ukraine’s side?
Davos 2024: Ukraine Holds Peace Blueprint Talks With Allies, Global South - Bloomberg
Zelensky Calls for Peace, Not More Weapons, in Davos - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
I have to ask about statements from another Ukrainian official from yesterday. Apparently Ukrainian MP Sasha Ustinova addressed a bipartisan gathering of American members of Congress on Monday night and to once again say, hey, we still need you.
Here are some words from her: “I just want to be honest with you: I think everyone thinks Ukraine is winning. We’re going to lose without you.” She thinks everyone thinks Ukraine is winning, huh?
OK, let’s return to Zelensky, because I’m hoping you can enlighten us on this statement. Zelensky in his speech at Davos said, “Anyone thinks this is only about us, this is only about Ukraine, they are fundamentally mistaken. Possible directions and even timeline of a new Russian aggression beyond Ukraine become more and more obvious.” Intriguing!
Zelensky Ignored by the Global South in Davos, the Killing of Gonzalo Lira, more...