Latest news with #MichaelGloss
Newsweek
28-04-2025
- Newsweek
Michael Gloss Obituary Removed After He Died Fighting for Russia
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The obituary for Michael Gloss, the son of a senior CIA official and an Iraq War veteran, has been removed from the Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home website after it became public that he died fighting for Russia against Ukraine. The original obituary made no mention of the 21-year-old's activities abroad, focusing instead on his interest in nature and devotion to family and friends. The CIA confirmed his death and told Newsweek, "The CIA considers Michael's passing to be a private matter for the Gloss family—not a national security issue." Why It Matters On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that remains ongoing. The U.S. is Ukraine's largest military backer, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. The circumstances of Michael Gloss' death and the removal of his obituary highlight the complicated personal and national implications when Americans participate in conflicts on behalf of U.S. adversaries. The case is particularly sensitive because of Michael Gloss' background: his mother, Juliane Gallina, is the CIA deputy director for digital innovation, and his father, Larry Gloss, served during the Iraq War. What To Know The original obituary for Michael Gloss was published on the Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home website in November, The Washington Post reported. On April 25, iStories, an independent Russian investigative outlet, published its report on Michael Gloss' time in Russia, and his obituary was taken down. "With his noble heart and warrior spirit Michael was forging his own hero's journey when he was tragically killed in Eastern Europe on April 4, 2024," the obituary said. Drawing on Russian government data and social media posts, iStories traced Michael Gloss' journey to enlisting in the Russian army. He departed his home in Fairfax, Virginia, in January 2023, traveling first to Italy and then to Turkey, where he assisted in restoring buildings damaged by that year's earthquake. A picture of Michael Gloss taken from social media. A picture of Michael Gloss taken from social media. Social media Larry Gloss told the Post that in June 2023, his son traveled to the former Soviet republic of Georgia, where he attended a "Rainbow Family" counterculture gathering. The following month, Michael Gloss informed his parents that he had crossed into Russia to meet friends from the group. Although skeptical of the decision, his parents did not suspect he would join the Russian military. On social media, Michael Gloss posted a photo of himself in Moscow's Red Square and expressed support for Russia's war efforts. According to iStories, Michael Gloss told his parents in September 2023 that he planned to stay in Russia and subsequently enlisted in the Russian military. The outlet found a record of his recruitment in a Russian government database. Michael Gloss was deployed to the Ukrainian front in December 2023, iStories reported, where he joined an assault unit. A Russian soldier from the 137th Airborne Regiment, who said he knew him, confirmed this. The regiment was positioned northwest of Soledar in the Donetsk region as Russian forces moved to seize the heavily contested city of Bakhmut. On the day of Michael Gloss' death, his division announced on Telegram that it had advanced, supported by small assault groups and artillery fire. According to Larry Gloss, citing the Russian death certificate, his son died on April 4, 2024, from massive blood loss during an artillery barrage while trying to assist a wounded comrade. Larry Gloss said his son aspired to become a Russian citizen, believing he could fulfill his dream of developing a water purifier to help communities without access to clean water. "I can only attribute it to his mental illness," Larry Gloss told the Post, describing his son as "the ultimate antiestablishment, anti-authority young man." Larry Gloss told the newspaper that neither parent knew their son was fighting for Russia when a U.S. State Department consular affairs official informed them in June that he had been killed. Michael Gloss' funeral took place in December. What People Are Saying A spokesperson for the CIA told Newsweek: "Juliane Gallina and her family suffered an unimaginable personal tragedy in the spring of 2024 when her son Michael Gloss, who struggled with mental health issues, died while fighting in the conflict in Ukraine. CIA considers Michael's passing to be a private matter for the Gloss family—not a national security issue. The entire CIA family is heartbroken for their loss. Juliane and her husband shared that 'we adored our son and grieve his loss every moment. We appreciate privacy at this difficult time.'" What Happens Next Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine from May 8 to 11. U.S. President Donald Trump, who is attempting to broker a permanent ceasefire, has expressed frustration over the move.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
CIA deputy director's son KIA after enlisting in Russian military
April 26 (UPI) -- U.S. citizen Michael Gloss, 21, died a year ago in Ukraine while a member of the Russian military and deployed in Ukraine. Gloss was the son of CIA Deputy Director for Digital Innovation Juliane Gallina and Larry Gloss, who is a U.S. Navy veteran, the New York Post reported. Larry Gloss attributed mental illness and a desire to create a water purification system in Russia to his son's enlistment in the Russian military. "One of the manifestations of his mental illness was grandiosity," Gloss said of his son. "He always cared about the environment. He always wanted to take care of those disadvantaged [and] less able." He said Michael Gloss wanted to become a Russian citizen to pursue his desire to create an effective water purification system and viewed enlistment in the Russian military as the fastest way to earn citizenship there. An obituary published on April 4, 2024, said Michael Gloss had a "noble heart and warrior spirit" and "was tragically killed in Eastern Europe," the New York Post reported. After enlisting, he was assigned to Russia's 137th Ryazan Airborne Regiment, where he served alongside mostly Nepalese citizens who also enlisted in the Russian military. A CIA spokesperson on Friday confirmed Michael Gloss died while fighting in Ukraine but did not say for whom he was fighting, NBC News reported. "CIA considers Michael's passing to be a private family matter for the Gloss Family [and] not a national security issue," the spokesperson said in a prepared statement. "The entire CIA family is heartbroken for their loss," the spokesperson said. "Juliane and her husband shared that 'we adored our son and grieve his loss every moment.'" Michael Gloss in social media posts made last year sympathized with Russia in what he called a "Ukraine proxy war." He called news coverage of the Ukraine war "Western propaganda" and said Russia's military was "slaughtering" Ukrainian soldiers. Gallina is a technology and cybersecurity expert who has worked for the CIA for many years and was promoted to her current post last year. She is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and was the first woman to lead a brigade of midshipmen while enrolled at the academy.
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Shocking photos show CIA deputy director's son fighting for Russia in Ukraine war before his battlefield death
Pictures show the CIA deputy director's son who - unbeknownst to his mother and father - was fighting for Vladimir Putin in Ukraine. Michael Gloss, 21, was killed in the war in April last year, but details of the story have only emerged now after an investigation by Russian independent news outlet iStories. Photos showing him wearing camouflage and hanging out with soldiers have emerged. His mother, Julianne Gallina Gloss, is the Central Intelligence Agency's deputy director for digital innovation. His father, Larry Gloss, is a US Navy veteran who participated in Operation Desert Storm and the Iraq War. 'With his noble heart and warrior spirit, Michael forged his own hero's path when he tragically died in Eastern Europe on April 4, 2024,' his family wrote in an obituary that did not mention he was in the Russian army. They found out their son died in June and held a funeral for him in December, according to The Washington Post. However, his involvement in the Russian military was not revealed until Friday when iStories published a story. The CIA said Gallina and her family 'suffered an unimaginable personal tragedy in the spring of 2024 when her son Michael Gloss, who struggled with mental health issues, died while fighting in the conflict in Ukraine.' Michael had reportedly stopped taking his medication years ago and had started going 'off the grid.' The intelligence agency 'considers Michael's passing to be a private family matter for the Gloss family - not a national security issue.' It was with 'disbelief and devastation' that his parents discovered from the State Department that their son had been killed from a 'massive blood loss' in an artillery barrage in Donetsk region fighting for Putin's forces. 'It was absolutely news to us that he was involved in any military relationship with Russia,' his father told The Washington Post. His father said: 'He died running to aid a wounded comrade, trying to protect him. That was classic Michael.' He had gone to Russia after visiting ex-Soviet republic Georgia. Michael had left his Virginia home in January 2023 to travel to Italy to work on farms and Turkey to help with earthquake restoration. He then went to Georgia, where he attended the Rainbow Family counterculture movement. He then went to Russia, where he told his parents he was meeting friend, his father said. His parents were 'on guard, skeptical, suspicious' but 'at no point did he suggest or did we suspect he would join the military. Never,' Larry told The Washington Post. Michael told his parents he wanted to stay in Russia in September 2023 and by December 2023, he had been shipped off to Ukraine to fight in the war, iStories found. When his parents tracked his phone after his arrival in the totalitarian country, they discovered he was in Avangard, which does military training. He denied he had joined, The Post said. Michael had said that he wanted to get Russian citizenship but his parents believe that his 'mental illness' was a factor in his decisions about fighting for Putin's forces. They were worried that the Russians would twig who his mother was. 'Our biggest fear while we were waiting for him to be repatriated was that someone over there [in Moscow] would put two and two together and figure out who his mother was, and use him as a prop,' Larry told The Washington Post. Michael apparently believed that Russia would let him fulfil his dream of building a water purifier to help people who had no access to clean water. 'I can only attribute it to his mental illness,' Larry told the newspaper. 'It clearly defies logic. 'If you knew our son, he was the ultimate antiestablishment, anti-authority young man the minute he came into the world.'
Newsweek
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Top CIA Official's Son Killed Fighting for Russia: Father Speaks Out
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. 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. — 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.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
CIA confirms deputy director's son killed while fighting in Ukraine
The son of a deputy head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was killed "while fighting in the conflict in Ukraine" in 2024, a CIA spokesperson said on April 25, according to NBC News. Michael Gloss, 21, was the son of CIA Deputy Director for Digital Innovation Julianne Gallina Gloss and Iraq war veteran Larry Gloss. Independent Russian publication Important Stories first reported his death while fighting on Russia's side in an investigation published on April 25. As NBC News reported, the CIA spokesperson said Gallina and her family "suffered an unimaginable personal tragedy in the spring of 2024 when her son Michael Gloss, who struggled with mental health issues, died while fighting in the conflict in Ukraine." The statement did not specify which side Gloss was fighting for at the time. "CIA considers Michael's passing to be a private family matter for the Gloss family — not a national security issue," the spokesperson said. "Juliane and her husband shared that 'we adored our son and grieve his loss every moment. We appreciate privacy at this difficult time,'" the spokesperson added. According to an obituary written by his parents last year but since removed from the memorial home's page, Gloss died "while traveling in Eastern Europe," without mentioning the war in Ukraine or his travels to Russia. Despite supporting Ukraine at the beginning of the full-scale war, Gloss was recruited at a military recruitment center in Moscow, alongside other foreign nationals, by Sept. 5, 2023, the investigation by Important Stories found. Moscow has been enlisting migrants and foreign nationals since the start of its full-scale invasion to replenish its battlefield losses without a full-scale mobilization. Citizens from China, Nepal, Somalia, India, Cuba, and other nations were recruited, according to earlier reporting. Read also: 'End policy of appeasement' — European foreign affairs chairs rebuke Trump's Russia stance We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
