Russia urges those who worked with video blogger, journalist and filmmaker Gonzalo Lira, who died in a Ukrainian jail, to "speak up" and defend those locked away "in the dungeons of the Kyiv regime," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said in a commentary.

"We urge Gonzalo Lira's colleagues to speak up in defense of those who today are in the dungeons of the Kyiv regime. This is necessary for those who are still alive and who can still fight for the truth. It is a tribute to those who died a martyr's death in the name of the ideals of freedom. We express our sincerest condolences to Lira's family and friends," Zakharova said.

She pointed out that both countries where Lira was a citizen - the United States and Chile - from the very moment of the journalist's arrest by the Ukrainian security service (SBU) "preferred to leave him without attention and real support, essentially throwing him to the wolves."

"In Santiago, the affair was painstakingly brushed under the carpet, even when Lira's tragic death came to light. Before that, for many months, the Chilean authorities ignored repeated calls from international and local human rights activists not to abandon their compatriot in distress, thus shifting the burden of responsibility to the U.S. Department of State," she added.

"In this case, the question arises: where have U.S. officials and specialized organizations been all this time, which, when it suits them, hurry to the rescue of allegedly oppressed media representatives? As, for example, was the case with Evan Gershkovich, caught red-handed while carrying out actions on instructions from the U.S. authorities to collect classified information, or U.S. reporter Nicholas Niarchos detained in July 2022 in the Democratic Republic of Congo," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.

Zakharova believes that the Lira affair once again clearly shows what the collective West really stands for, as it "pays lip service to freedom of speech and journalism, but in practice protects them only when it benefits them."

"It is clear that the journalist's refusal to follow the US mainstream and toe the Washington line on what is happening in Ukraine could not remain without consequences, inhumane and literally murderous," Zakharova said.

Lira's death

Earlier, the U.S. Department of State confirmed the reports about the death of American and Chilean citizen, journalist and blogger Gonzalo Lira, who was imprisoned in Ukraine.

Lira in October 2023, while in prison, fell ill with bilateral pneumonia, said a handwritten note the journalist’s father, Gonzalo Lira Sr., showed to the U.S. portal The Grayzone. The latter published a photo of the note. According to Lira Sr.'s testimony, the prison authorities ignored and tried to conceal his son’s illness from the journalist's family and lawyers. Lira Sr. demanded that the US embassy in Kiev intervene in the situation, to no avail.

Last spring, Russia urged the global journalistic community to stand up and defend Lira following his abduction by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and demanded his immediate release. The SBU detained the blogger in Kharkov in May 2023 for supporting the Russian special operation in Ukraine.

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