Latest news with #OrderofLenin
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First Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
CIA official's son killed in Ukraine war, Putin gives Trump's envoy Witkoff award to pass on to family
Russian President Vladimir Putin presented US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff with a special award to pass on to a senior CIA official whose son was killed while fighting in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war read more Russian President Vladimir Putin presented US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff with a special award to pass on to a senior CIA official whose son was killed while fighting in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. During his meeting with Witkoff, Putin gave the Order of Lenin to the American envoy, sources close to the family told BBC News. 21-year-old Michael Gloss was killed in Ukraine last year. He was the son of Juliane Gallina, who is the CIA's deputy director for digital innovation. Reports of this engagement came to light after it was confirmed that US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will meet in Alaska next Friday to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, neither the Kremlin nor the Russian Foreign Ministry has publicly acknowledged that Gloss was bestowed with the Order of Lenin posthumously. The honour is a Soviet-era award recognising outstanding civilian service. It also remains unclear what exactly was done with the award. Gloss's case Meanwhile, the White House, the CIA and Witkoff are yet to respond to the matter. It is pertinent to note that Gloss's death first emerged in Russian media back in April. Later that month, the CIA released a statement in which they stated that Gloss had been suffering from mental health problems, adding that his death was not a national security issue. A person familiar with the matter made it clear that Gloss himself was never an employee of the CIA. Sources close to the family told CBS News that the Kremlin did not initially appear to be aware of the family background of Gloss, who enlisted with Russian forces in autumn 2023. While in Russia, Gloss shared selfies in Moscow's Red Square on social media last year. In his post, he had expressed support for Russia in what he described as 'the Ukraine Proxy war'. He went on to dismiss media coverage of the conflict as 'Western propaganda'. An obituary of Gloss was eventually published in November 2024, saying he was 'killed in Eastern Europe' on 4 April that year. It is pertinent to note that Gloss's father was an Iraq War veteran named Larry Gloss. While speaking to The Washington Post in April, Larry said that his son had struggled for most of his life with mental illness. '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 Gloss said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
United News of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Putin gives Trump's envoy Witkoff an award meant for CIA official whose son died fighting for Russia
Washington, Aug 9 (UNI) Russian President Vladimir Putin gave President Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff an award to pass along to a senior CIA official whose son was killed in Ukraine while fighting alongside Russian forces, CBS reported. The award, the Order of Lenin, was meant to be handed to Juliane Gallina, whose 21-year-old son, Michael Gloss, was killed in is currently serving at the CIA as deputy director for digital innovation. Multiple sources told CBS News that Putin gave Witkoff the award during his trip to Russia this week, which a Russian official said the U.S. initiated, to discuss ending the Ukraine war. The gesture by Putin is likely meant to raise unhelpful questions and highlight that a CIA official's son fought for Russia in the war. It also comes ahead of a meeting next week between Putin and Trump in efforts to end the Ukraine conflict. In a statement in April, CIA officials said the death of Gallina's son, who struggled with mental health challenges, was not a national security issue. Two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News there was no indication that Gloss had been recruited by the Russian government, and that the Kremlin did not appear to be aware of Gloss's family background when it repatriated his remains. The Order of Lenin is a Soviet-era award meant to highlight outstanding civilian service. It has been given to high-level spies, including the U.K.'s Kim Philby, a double agent for the Soviet Union. Gallina's son was never an employee of the CIA, according to a person familiar with the matter. On social media, Gloss published posts of himself in Moscow and voiced his support for Russian troops. Russian media first published news of Gloss' death in April. The CIA's statement at the time said Gallina and her family had suffered "an unimaginable personal tragedy. "An obituary for Gloss said he was "tragically killed in Eastern Europe" on April 4, father, Larry Gloss, an Iraq War veteran, told the Washington Post in an interview that he and Gallina did not know their son was in Ukraine or that he had enlisted in the Russian army. "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 Gloss said. UNI RN
The Guardian
16-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Are our ‘lost boys' really being failed?
The idea that society is failing young men needs to be treated with caution ('Jobless, isolated, fed misogynistic porn… where is the love for Britain's lost boys?', Comment). Suicide rates are flimsy evidence that men struggle more than women. Death by suicide is indeed more prevalent in men; however, women make more suicide attempts. As a professional educator, I am also concerned by unexamined implications that girls are more successful than boys in school because the system favours them. Educators often spend more time and energy on boys than girls. Sexist attitudes do harm boys' outcomes: students who expect instant rewards for their efforts, or who cannot accept failure, will tend to fare worse;, and boys do socialise in ways that emphasise boisterous behaviour, which is hardly compatible with academic success. However, while girls outnumber boys at university, boys still make up the majority of many prestigious courses. The supposed 'reverse gender gap' is already instrumentalised to discriminate against women. A critical outlook is more necessary than ever.Cécile Cristofari Aix-en-Provence, France This article is spot on. As a mother of three boys aged 19, 14 and eight, I've seen myself how ill equipped they are for the world despite our best efforts. Those who thrive seem to be those who embrace their more feminine attributes whereas boys who feel or act more 'boyish' seem unsure of their place. And I've seen how men themselves struggle to find meaning and connection, and not just young men. I work in mental health and without exception the men I see are isolated and lonely. What is needed is a new network of boys' and men's clubs, like scouts or Men In Sheds, run for boys and men by men, that emphasise healthy friendships and activities, not solely about sport or machismo. Boys and men need healthy male Darach Brighton Simon Tisdall ('Being Putin's stooge won't win Trump a peace prize. The Order of Lenin, though, is in the bag', Comment) sums up the situation. But I detect a running theme in much commentary: bad as Trump is, a presidential term lasts only so long, and then you have to hold elections. All the opposition have to do is to find the correct attack megaphone. But what if there aren't any more elections? A large majority of the Republican party are probably not especially worried. At best, the people may be offered the sort of election favoured in Russia or China. So maybe we should be looking to this as the next threat to the established order? After all, Trump and company have the best part of four years to work on Boothby Lowton, Warrington I am depressed to read your article ('Soaring service charges mean 'affordable housing' is being mis-sold, say residents'). Housing Associations in the heyday of shared ownership were led by housing-oriented individuals. As housing authorities grew ever bigger, the accountants took over control and leadership and appear to have become more interested in the balance sheet and corporate reputation than customer service, with ever increasing stories of poor and often dangerous maintenance failures and increasing costs for residents. These large, remote landlords need to be dismantled and power restored to Annan (former housing association CEO) Thornbury, Gloucestershire The eminent lawyers, judges and academics who wrote in support of Kim Leadbeater's amendment to her terminally ill adults bill (Letters,) describe the new proposal – which would swap the high court judge for a panel comprising a lawyer, a social worker and a psychiatrist – as sensible and practical, and as guarding against any misuse. They don't mention the glaring limitation of this proposal, which is that there is no requirement for the panel members to ask questions of the patient. Without this, there can be no meaningful assessment, for example, of capacity or coercion. Presented as an important layer of scrutiny, the proposed panel needs do little more than check the paperwork. At the second reading of this bill, parliamentarians were assured this would be the safest assisted dying law in the world. Found to be unworkable, and unsupported by senior judges, the high court safeguard has now been abandoned. In its place, a panel that doesn't even need to ask questions of the person requesting lethal drugs. It may make the bill more practical. But it does not make it more safe. Prof Katherine Sleeman, Laing Galazka Chair in Palliative Care, Cicely Saunders Institute; Dr Sarah Cox, President, Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland I read Martha Gill's article ('The Sussexes have to earn their bread somehow, so let them make cake', Comment) with interest. She's correct, Meghan's latest series is dreadful. I didn't last 10 minutes. However, I don't agree that the Sussexes are indiscreet, or their lives for sale. They're extremely guarded about certain aspects of it. Meghan's only doing what other royals have done. More to the point, Meghan had a lifestyle line before she met Harry. My only wish is that the Sussex's media output was a bit more T Taylor London W5 I was saddened but not surprised to hear of another vital charity facing closure due to funding cuts ('Tell Mama monitoring group facing closure after funding pulled by government', News). Running a small charity is a labour of love, but the relentless pressure of securing funding and supporting vulnerable communities takes a severe toll on the mental health of charity leaders. Having worked in the sector for 20 years, I've never seen the funding landscape as bleak as it is now. Demand for our services is soaring, yet funding is shrinking — leaving small charity leaders like me under immense stress and anxiety. The biggest burden is securing funding. With the cost-of-living crisis, public donations have fallen, grant funding has collapsed, and competition is fierce. Unlike larger charities, small organisations operate on a knife-edge, with leaders shouldering the responsibility of ensuring their team gets paid and services continue. This pressure is relentless and isolating, causing severe mental health struggles with small charity leaders experiencing awful impacts like burnout, suicidal thoughts, or hospitalisation. Beyond financial stress, the emotional weight is enormous. As a leader, I carry not only my own stress but also the burden of my team and the families we support. Yet, there remains a frustrating lack of understanding about what small charities do. We're treated as a 'nice to have' rather than vital services. We're constantly asked to justify our need for funding, despite filling gaps left by failing public services. Real change is needed. Small charities must be properly funded and supported. Leaders must also unite and advocate for themselves, ensuring their wellbeing is prioritised. We do this work because it matters – but without systemic change, burnout will remain an ever-present threat and more charities could face Cantrell, CEO, First Days children's charity Wokingham, Berkshire The article by a mother ('I adore my children. I'm also scared my son might one day kill me', News) highlights the psychiatric burden that so many families carry on behalf of their mentally ill children. While many mothers are finely tuned to the fluctuating moods of their children, this information is disregarded by the healthcare profession. Instead, a brief interaction with an unfamiliar mental health worker takes precedence over the experience informed by the long-standing relationship. The consequent outcomes can be Sheehy London SE3 I worked for over 35 years in HMRC, where we had performance-related pay since 1993 ('Starmer's civil service reform plans raise fears of Musk's Doge agendaUnions on alert as Labour prepares to unveil 'Trumpian' plan for civil service', News, last week). The vast majority of civil servants are not 'mandarins', they are administrative staff, most of whom are poorly paid. The people I left behind in HMRC do a stressful, soul-destroying job. They deserve better from a government that claims to be on the side of 'working people'.Jim Simpson Padfield, Derbyshire This disgraceful case ('Pregnant, sitting on the floor – then unjustly fined for fare dodging') highlights the appalling overcrowding that has been regularly occurring for years. The fact is that train companies and government have both been hiding behind the Office of Rail and Road's narrow definition of safety, which deems trains safe no matter how many people are on board and thus permits the unrestricted sale of tickets. Overcrowding is a business model and a policy. The situation is inherently unsafe. Under these circumstances toilets cannot be accessed nor can medical help reach a sick person. Platforms also become overcrowded and unsafe. Until government ministers wake up to the fact that this situation cannot be Stephen Wilson Oxford For a dissertation on mice, I built a square, walled grid to measure frequency of defecation by the subjects. Most pellets appeared in the central squares, fewer adjacent to the walls and fewest in the corner squares. Perhaps Geoff Dyer ('Best seat in the house... why sitting in a corner is so satisfying', New Review, last week) is just trying, subconsciously, to be a good Macpherson Teddington, London
