The son of a CIA director, who had got radicalized, was killed last year while allegedly fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, according to a new report. Michael Alexander Gloss, 21, was killed in the war in April last year, but the details of the story have come to light only recently after an investigation by the independent Russian news outlet Important Stories.
Michael, the son of Juliane Gallina Gloss, CIA's Deputy Director for Digital Innovation, and a Navy veteran father, was killed on the front lines after joining the Russian military, according to Important Stories. Photos have surfaced showing him in camouflage gear and spending time with fellow soldiers.
A Death Kept Under Wraps
Michael's death was confirmed on Friday by The Post through his father, Larry Gloss, who revealed that his son struggled with mental health issues and had an obsession with water purification.
"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. However, the obituary did not mention he was in the Russian army.
The family came to know about their son's death in June and held his funeral in December, according to The Washington Post. However, that he was in the Russian army became public only on Friday after the iStories report.
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 discontinued his medication several years back and began living "off the grid."
According to the intelligence agency Michael's death was a "private family matter for the Gloss family - not a national security issue."
His parents were filled with "disbelief and devastation" when the State Department informed them that their son had died from "severe blood loss" during an artillery strike in the Donetsk region while fighting for Putin's troops. "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."
Tragic Death, Devastated Parents
Michael made his way to Russia after visiting the former Soviet republic of Georgia He had left his home in Virginia in January 2023 to travel — first to Italy to work on farms, then to Turkey to help with earthquake recovery efforts. From there, he went to Georgia, where he joined the Rainbow Family counterculture gathering.
Later, he traveled to Russia and told his parents that he was going to meet a friend, according to his father.
Larry Gloss told The Washington Post that he and his wife were " on guard, skeptical, suspicious" but that "at no point did he suggest or did we suspect he would join the military. Never."
In September 2023, Michael told his parents that he planned to stay in Russia. By December, according to iStories, he had been sent to Ukraine to fight in the war. When his parents tracked his phone after he entered Russia, they found that he was in Avangard, known for military training. Although they confronted him, Michael insisted he had not joined the army.
Michael had expressed a desire to obtain Russian citizenship, but his parents believe his "mental illness" heavily influenced his decisions, including his choice to fight for Putin's forces.
They also feared the Russians might discover his mother's position within the CIA. "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 reportedly believed that Russia would allow him to fulfill his dream of creating a water purifier to help people without access to clean drinking water.
"I can only attribute it to his mental illness," Larry told the Washington Post. "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."
