Musk blames Zelensky for death of US journalist
Billionaire Elon Musk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, has blamed Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky for the death of an American national who criticized his government.
Chilean-American filmmaker and blogger Gonzalo Lira died in a Ukrainian jail in January 2024 while awaiting trial for “systematically justifying the Russian aggression.”
“Zelensky killed an American journalist!” Musk wrote on his social media platform X on Wednesday.
“Zelensky cannot claim to represent the will of the people of Ukraine unless he restores freedom of the press and stops canceling elections!” he added.
Lira, who moved to Ukraine in 2010, was covering the conflict with Russia on YouTube. The Security Service of Ukraine arrested him in 2023 after he jumped bail and attempted to seek asylum in Hungary. Lira claimed that he was tortured in custody. His family accused Kiev of being complicit in his death. The Ukrainian authorities denied any wrongdoing.
Lira’s father, Gonzalo Lira Sr., suggested in December 2023 that the Biden administration gave “at least tacit approval of Gonzalo’s arrest.”
Musk has attacked Zelensky in the middle of a public feud between the Ukrainian leader and Trump, which erupted when multiple Ukrainian and EU officials criticized the US president for launching direct negotiations with Russia without their approval.
Trump branded Zelensky a “dictator without elections” and claimed that he is deeply unpopular at home. Zelensky has suggested that the US president is trafficking in ‘Russian disinformation’.
Zelensky’s five-year presidential term expired in May 2024, and no new elections were called due to martial law. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he no longer considers Zelensky a legitimate leader. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed recently that Moscow wants the issue of Zelensky’s legitimacy to be addressed during future peace talks.
