Michael Gloss, the 21-year-old son of a CIA deputy director, was killed in April 2024 while fighting for Russia in Ukraine after signing a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian investigative outlet “Important Stories” (Vazhnye Istorii) reported on 25 April.
Gloss was the son of Juliane Gallina Gloss, who serves as CIA Deputy Director for Digital Innovation, and Larry Gloss, a US Navy veteran who participated in Operation Desert Storm. According to documents reviewed by the publication, Michael signed a contract with the Russian military in September 2023.
“With his noble heart and warrior spirit, Michael forged his own hero’s path when he tragically died in Eastern Europe on 4 April 2024,” his family wrote in an obituary, without mentioning his service in the Russian army.
Before joining Russian forces, Gloss had been traveling the world after leaving the College of the Atlantic in Maine, where he studied human ecology. His friends described him as an environmental activist and anti-fascist who had expressed anger toward the United States.
Photo: Gloss’s Instagram
“He was very angry at America. He started thinking about going to Russia. He wanted to fight against the USA,” one acquaintance told the publication.
The young American arrived in Russia in August 2023, posting a selfie from Vladikavkaz with the message: “Guys, I’m in Russia. How did I get here?” He visited several Russian cities before his visa was set to expire on 5 September 2023.
Russian border service data shows that on that day, Gloss appeared at a recruitment center in Moscow that processed foreign volunteers for military service. He was assigned to the 137th Airborne Regiment based in Ryazan.
A Russian soldier who served with Gloss said: “He was a staunch supporter of Russia and loved it.”
Other friends claimed Gloss joined the Russian army to obtain Russian citizenship more quickly. “My goal in life is to build infrastructure for oxidizing water in a supercritical state. To end environmental pollution and related diseases and deaths,” Gloss had reportedly told one friend, explaining that Russian citizenship would help him achieve this goal.
Gloss was killed on 4 April 2024, likely during a Russian offensive near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. His family held his funeral in Fairfax County near Washington DC in December 2024, eight months after his death.
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