Top CIA Official's Son Killed Fighting for Russia: Father Speaks Out
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The father of an American who died while fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine has described his son as an anti-establishment champion who "would not hurt a flea."
Michael Gloss, 21, whose mother Juliane Gallina is CIA deputy director for digital innovation, was killed while in Ukraine's Donetsk region last April.
His father, Larry Gloss, an Iraq War veteran, told The Washington Post neither parent knew their son was fighting for Russia when they were informed by a State Department consular affairs official last June that he had been killed.
Larry Gloss told the Post that Michael struggled for most of his life with mental illness.
The CIA said in a statement that it was not a U.S. national security issue and Ralph Goff, a former senior CIA official in charge of operations in Europe and Eurasia described the death as a great tragedy for the parents.
Newsweek has contacted the CIA for comment.
This undated image from social media shows Michael Gloss in Red Square, Moscow.
This undated image from social media shows Michael Gloss in Red Square, Moscow.
Screen grab via social media
What To Know
The CIA confirmed the death of Michael Gloss, which had first been reported by Important Stories (iStories), an independent Russian investigative news outlet based outside Russia that has an English-language version.
Citing Russian government information and social media posts, the outlet documented Gloss' travels, which culminated in him joining the Russian army.
He left his home in Fairfax, Virginia, in January 2023 and traveled to Italy and then Turkey, where he helped to restore buildings damaged by an earthquake that year.
Larry Gloss told the Post his son went to the former Soviet republic of Georgia, where he attended a "Rainbow Family" counterculture movement gathering and the following month, told his parents he had crossed into Russia where he was going to meet friends from the group.
His parents were skeptical of the move but did not suspect he would join Russia's military. In social media posts, Gloss shared a photo of himself smiling in Moscow's Red Square and expressed sympathy for Russia's war effort.
In September 2023, Michael told his parents he wanted to stay in Russia and he then enlisted in the Russian military, according to iStories, which found a record of his recruitment in a Russian database.
Michael Gloss, an American citizen and the son of CIA Deputy Director for Digital Innovation Juliane Gallina Gloss, was killed in Ukraine while fighting on Russia's side. https://t.co/ECOivzGilW pic.twitter.com/OTxLvOP5a4 — Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) April 25, 2025
IStories said Michael was sent to the Ukraine front in December 2023 and assigned to an assault unit, according to a Russian soldier in the 137th Airborne Regiment who said he knew him.
The regiment's units were stationed northwest of the city of Soledar in the Donetsk region and Russian forces moved to capture the besieged citadel of Bakhmut.
On the day Michael was killed, his division said on Telegram it had advanced backed by small assault groups and artillery.
Michael died on April 4, 2024, of massive blood loss during an artillery barrage, trying to aid a wounded comrade, Larry Gloss said, citing the Russian death certificate. The map below by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) shows the state of the Bakhmut front line at the time.
He said his son wanted to become a Russian citizen, believing in Russia he could achieve his goal of building a water purifier to help those without access to clean water.
"I can only attribute it to his mental illness," Gloss told the Post, describing him as "the ultimate antiestablishment, anti-authority young man."
His funeral took place in December, and an obituary published the month before did not mention the war or Russia, saying that he "was forging his own hero's journey when he was tragically killed in Eastern Europe."
What People Are Saying
The CIA told NBC News that the death of Michael Gloss was "a private family matter for the Gloss family—not a national security issue. The entire CIA family is heartbroken for their loss."
Larry Gloss, per the Washington Post: "If you knew our son, he was the ultimate antiestablishment, anti-authority young man the minute he came into the world."
A former CIA official said per the Post: "For the parents, it's just a great tragedy."
What Happens Next
Without specifying which side he was fighting on, the CIA said in a statement that Michael Gloss' death was not a national security issue, suggesting there would be no further investigation.
Ralph Goff, a former senior CIA official who has traveled extensively in Ukraine, said that up to 3,000 Americans have gone to the battlefield to fight for Ukraine but only a small number have fought for Russia.
The outlet iStories has estimated that among Russian forces are troops from 48 countries and foreign soldiers are likely to continue to enlist.
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