The son of a deputy head of the CIA was killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine in 2024, Russian publication Important Stories reported in an investigation published on April 25.
Michael Gloss, 21, was the son of CIA Deputy Director for Digital Innovation Julianne Gallina Gloss, and Iraq war veteran Larry Gloss.
Before arriving in Russia on August 13, 2023, Gloss was travelling around Europe. On his Vkontakte page bio, he wrote: "I ran away from home (and) traveled the world. I hate fascism."
Gloss studied Human Ecology at Middlebury College in Vermont and was described as an eco-activist, women’s rights supporter, and anti-fascist, Important Stories reports.
He created an Instagram post with anti-fascist graffiti in March 2023, with the hashtag "end Ukraine war."
But despite supporting Ukraine at the beginning of the full-scale war, he was at a military recruitment center in Moscow, alongside other foreign nationals, by September 5, 2023, the investigation found.
His social media posts show a distinct change in his views — one identified by Important Stories as belonging to Gloss suggest he believed in conspiracy theories involving Ukraine, and claimed NATO was an evolution of Adolf Hitler's Nazi party.
Gloss was enlisted in Russia’s 137th Ryazan Airborne Regiment, according to the investigation, which found several pictures and videos of his recruitment process, as well as speaking to some of his fellow recruits.
A Russian soldier who served with him said he was "a staunch supporter of Russia and loved it."
On April 4, 2024, he was killed, likely during a Russian offensive near Bakhmut. His burial in the U.S. did not take place until December 2024, Important Stories said.
Gloss told his family he was working in Russia to get a Russian passport and save money for a trip to Africa.
According to an obituary written by his parents, Gloss "was tragically killed in Eastern Europe," while he "was forging his own hero’s journey with his noble heart and warrior spirit."
"He wanted the world to be a better place with more fairness, peace and harmony with nature," it says.
"In his brief life, he built houses in Honduras, he restored buildings in Turkiye destroyed by earthquakes, he worked on farms in Italy learning sustainable agriculture."
The obituary made no mention of Russia or Ukraine.
Since the start of its full-scale invasion, Moscow has relied on various methods to enlist migrants and foreign nationals to offset its heavy battlefield losses while avoiding full-scale mobilization.
Reports indicate that Russia has recruited individuals from Nepal, Somalia, India, Cuba, and other nations.
Kateryna Denisova
(Updated: )
