Son of U.S. CIA Deputy Director Killed at 21 After Joining Russian Military

Enlisted in September 2023, died in April the following year
Mother is CIA Deputy Director for Digital Innovation
Developed anti-American sentiment after watching videos about Palestine

It was belatedly confirmed that the son of the Deputy Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) volunteered to join the Russian military and was killed in action while fighting against Ukraine.

On the 26th (local time), British daily The Guardian and other foreign media reported that Russian independent media outlet iStories analyzed leaked Russian military recruitment records online and confirmed these facts. Michael Alexander Gloss, a U.S.-born Russian military contract soldier who died in eastern Ukraine on April 4 last year at the age of 21, was the son of CIA Deputy Director Julianne Gallina. Deputy Director Gallina was appointed as the CIA Deputy Director for Digital Innovation in February last year. Her husband, Larry Gloss, is a former U.S. Navy officer and Iraq War veteran who currently runs a security-related software company.

Michael Gloss, the son of the CIA Deputy Director, who was killed in action last April while serving with the Russian military in the Ukraine war. Michael Gloss Vkontakte capture, Yonhap News
Photo by Yonhap

Michael voluntarily enlisted in the Russian military in September 2023, underwent three months of training alongside other soldiers from Nepal, and was deployed to the eastern Ukrainian front as a member of a frontline assault unit in December of the same year. In a post on the Russian social networking service VKontakte (VK), he described himself as a "supporter of a multipolar world," writing, "I ran away from home and traveled the world. I abhor fascism and love my homeland." His VKontakte account displayed the flags of Russia and Palestine side by side. It is unknown whether Russian authorities conducted a background check on Michael at the time of his enlistment or whether they were aware of his mother's identity.

Michael was reportedly active in gender equality and environmental movements during his college years, but dropped out and began traveling the world. He once joined the left-leaning environmental group "Rainbow Family." In 2023, he engaged in relief work in Hatay, T?rkiye, an area struck by a major earthquake, before crossing into Russia. In an interview with iStories, a friend of Michael said, "Michael began considering going to Russia after watching videos about Palestine that made him angry at the United States," and added, "He wanted to go to war against the U.S. However, I think he was influenced by conspiracy theory videos."

Michael ultimately died of excessive bleeding after being struck by artillery fire on April 4 last year in the Soledar area near Bakhmut, one of the fiercest battlefields of the Ukraine war. His parents knew that he had entered Russia, but were unaware that he had participated in the Ukraine war. They reportedly learned of his death through the U.S. State Department two months later, in June of the same year, and were deeply shocked. Michael's father, Larry, confessed that his son had suffered from mental illness throughout his life and, since the age of 17, had shown signs of rebelling against the "shared values" of his parents, both of whom are national security experts.

Michael's parents held his funeral in December last year, but the obituary only stated that he died tragically in "Eastern Europe," without mentioning Russia, Ukraine, or the circumstances of his death. On the 25th, the CIA issued a statement, reported by The Washington Post (WP), saying, "The CIA considers Michael's death a private family matter, not a national security issue," and added, "The entire CIA family extends its deepest condolences to Michael's family for their loss."