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Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
He died fighting for Russia. Meghan McCain blamed his US veteran parents.
It was a stupid tweet by someone who isn't stupid. Meghan McCain criticized the fitness of parents who raise a wayward kid. She questioned whether the mother, a deputy director at the CIA, should still have a job. Why? Because that mother and her husband lost control of their young adult son, who foolishly went to war on behalf of Vladimir Putin's Russia and died on a battlefield fighting Ukraine. Their boy had an eccentric streak that took him to remote parts of the world promoting environmentalism, feminism, communism and the Palestinian people. He threw shade at his home country, the United States. He posted a video of an American flag burning and would tell friends he was ashamed to be from here. He was the antithesis of his parents, who both served their country honorably in the U.S. Navy, as Meghan McCain's famous father once had. And McCain blamed the parents. Born in 1984, Meghan McCain is a child of the internet. She is a tweeting machine who understood how to use the platform X that was Twitter before Elon Musk bought it and broke its grip from left-wing censorship. Her opinions are punchy and irreverent, and she takes a lot of swings at both left and right. Opinion: Elon Musk called a combat veteran a 'traitor.' No American should tolerate it. Even now, as she is busy raising two small children, she is building Substack and 2Way audiences with her takes on American culture and politics as she stays engaged with the wider world. Sometimes when you engage the world, however, you reveal too much. And on April 25, McCain showed her own ignorance in a tweet: 'If you can't even get your own kid not to become an anti-American, pro-Islam communist who joins and fights in the Russian Army against Ukraine, maybe you shouldn't have a senior job in the CIA...' When I read that, I laughed. This is clearly the opinion of someone who has never raised teenagers, I thought. In due time, she will learn, and she will regret it. McCain had keyed in on a new version of an ancient story. Christ told it as the parable of the prodigal son, the child who goes astray. In the biblical account told in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 15:11-32), a wayward child of a wealthy man goes on a long bender of sin and debauchery, squandering his inherited wealth and eventually sliding to that last rung of the occupational ladder – herding swine. A more modern version was told on April 25 at iStories about Michael Gloss, a young man who grew up in the leafy suburbs of Washington, DC, the privileged son of parents who dedicated a good part of their adult lives to the defense of America. Gloss' mother, Juliane Gallina, is a CIA deputy director for digital innovation. She graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and became the first woman to serve as a Naval Academy brigade commander in 1991, iStories reports. For 30 years, she has worked in intelligence. Gloss' father, Larry Gloss, is also a U.S. Navy veteran and an Iraq War veteran. He was decorated for his service in Operation Desert Storm. Last year, the couple learned their son had died. On April 25, they read in the iStories account that their boy, while in Russia, had chosen to enter Putin's meatgrinder – the invasion of neighboring Ukraine. On the battlefield he got caught in an artillery barrage and died from 'massive blood loss,' The Washington Post reported. He was among 172,000 Russian troops who have died and 611,000 who were wounded in Putin's illegal war, the International Institute for Strategic Studies reports. That a leftist child of American patriots would take up arms for a Russian tyrant is a puzzle. It's a long distance in both miles and values from the home he grew up in. The 21-year-old Michael was suffering from mental illness, The Post reports, and had stopped taking medication to treat his illness. As a little boy, he was different, his father said. 'If you knew our son, he was the ultimate antiestablishment, anti-authority young man the minute he came into the world,' Larry Gloss told The Post. He grew up loving The Beatles and Bob Dylan, and he was drawn to the politics of the left and radical left. His muse led him to places like Italy, where, according to his obituary, he learned sustainable agriculture through farm work. He went to Turkey to help rebuild earthquake-damaged structures. He journeyed to the former Soviet republic of Georgia to join a counter-cultural movement inspired by Woodstock, The Post reported. Opinion: Trump has made America a safer place for my daughters. I'm grateful for that. Eventually, he would go to Russia for what his parents believed was the fulfillment of a dream to help build a water purifier in parts of that country that lacked clean water. Instead, he died fighting an aggressor's war. 'I can only attribute it to his mental illness,' his father told The Post. 'It clearly defies logic.' Any parent who has raised teenagers will instinctively empathize with the Glosses. 'Teenage' is the child stage when the parents learn, 'Oh, we don't decide the direction of our children's futures.' Our children do. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. When I was about Meghan McCain's age, some of my older work colleagues tried to warn me of this. 'One day when your kids are teenagers,' one coworker, who happened to be a superb parent, told me, 'they're going to ask you for your advice.' Then her face changed. It grew flush with anger. Her eyes flared and her voice rose. 'THEY DON'T WANT YOUR ADVICE! THEY DON'T WANT YOUR ADVICE!' When she calmed down, she explained, 'They only say they want your advice. They never take it.' Who knows what set that off, but the frustration was real. I have a sister and brother-in-law who were raising the greatest four girls. Strong values. High ethics. Parents engaged in every aspect of their lives. And everything seemed peachy perfect, until one of those daughters turned into a meth addict. Hell rained down. I heard it in the desperate calls from my sister, who tearfully told me her 16-year-old, now emaciated and scarred from self-mutilation, would never make it to age 20. Opinion: Depression in young men is on the rise. Athletes may be the key to getting help. Hard work and prayers and an enormous amount of attention were focused on that child. Her clean-living sisters sometimes resented all that attention going to the black sheep. But that black sheep, that prodigal, finally found herself and started making good decisions. She went on to drug recovery, university, graduation with honors and medical school. Now a physician, she is about to take on a new job at a major West Coast trauma center saving other people's children. Today, when my sisters and I get together, we joke that our primary job as parents was to just keep our kids alive. You have to live that to know it. Someday Meghan McCain will have teenagers, and she will understand. Phil Boas is an editorial columnist for The Arizona Republic, where this column originally published. You can email him at You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Meghan McCain picks on Michael Gloss. She'll regret it later | Opinion
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.
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
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Son of CIA deputy director was killed while fighting for Russia, report says
An American man identified as the son of a deputy director of the CIA was killed in eastern Ukraine in 2024 while fighting under contract for the Russian military, according to an investigation by independent Russian media. Michael Alexander Gloss, 21, died on 4 April 2024 in 'Eastern Europe', according to an obituary published by his family. He was the son of Juliane Gallina, who was appointed the deputy director for digital innovation at the Central Intelligence Agency in February 2024. The story of how the son of a top-ranking US spy died fighting for Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine is an unlikely tale of how homegrown anger at the United States and online radicalisation led from a middle-class Virginia childhood to the killing fields of eastern Ukraine. On a VKontakte page attributed to Gloss, a high school football player born to parents who both served in the military, he described himself as 'a supporter of the multipolar world. I ran away from home. traveled the world. I hate fascism. I love my homeland.' He also posted the flags of Russia and Palestine. According to the investigative website iStories, Gloss is one of more than 1,500 foreigners who have signed contracts with the Russian military since February 2022. The database for the enrollment office was later leaked, exposing him as having signed the contract in September 2023. Sources told iStories that Gloss had been deployed with 'assault units', those engaged in harsh frontline fighting, in December 2023. An acquaintance said that he had been deployed to a Russian airborne regiment sent to storm Ukrainian positions near the city of Soledar. '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,' his family wrote in the obituary, which did not mention Russia and Ukraine or discuss the circumstances of his death. In university, Gloss was active in gender equality and environmental protest circles. He joined Rainbow Family, a leftwing environmental protest group, and in 2023 traveled to Hatay, Turkey, to assist in the recovery following the earthquake that killed more than 56,000 people. He had also become increasingly angry at the US for its support of Israel and the war in Gaza. While in Turkey, Gloss began expressing a desire to go on to Russia. 'He was usually watching videos about Palestine and was so angry at America,' one acquaintance told iStories. 'He started thinking about going to Russia. He wanted to war with the USA. But I think he was very influenced by the conspiracy theory videos.' Related: The Determined Spy: Frank Wisner, the CIA and a covert career cut short After receiving a visa to Russia, he traveled around the country before arriving in Moscow, where he joined the military shortly before his documents expired. Photographs and videos obtained by iStories showed he was sent to a Russian training camp, where he mostly trained alongside Nepali contract soldiers. Three months after enlisting, an acquaintance said, he was deployed to Ukraine as a member of an assault battalion. A number of acquaintances told the outlet that he had not been interested in fighting, but hoped the army would allow him to receive a Russian passport and stay in the country. The circumstance's of Gloss's death are not known. A friend said that his family had been informed by the Russian government of his death but were given little other information. 'It was announced that he died within the borders of Ukraine,' the friend wrote. 'We do not know whether he participated in the war. They did not provide any other detailed information.' It was not clear whether the Russians performed a background check on Gloss or knew the identity of his mother. The Guardian has approached the CIA for comment on the reports.
