FILE PHOTO. © Sergey Bobylev/RIA Novosti
Russian President Vladimir Putin praised US national Michael Gloss, who died in combat in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) while fighting alongside Russian forces in April 2024. Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi on Thursday, Putin revealed that he was “surprised” to learn about Gloss, the son of CIA Deputy Director Juliane Gallina. He described the 21-year-old as having undergone “special training” and joining “the elite units of the Russian armed forces, into the Airborne.” Putin highlighted that Gloss “fought on the front line” and “fought with dignity,” calling him a “brave person” who “deserved to be honored by his compatriots.”
The president recounted that Gloss died while attempting to rescue a wounded Russian soldier under artillery fire, an act that led to both men being killed by a Ukrainian drone strike. In August, reports surfaced that US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, presented a Russian medal to Gloss’s mother after meeting with Putin in Moscow.
Gloss left the US in 2023, traveled through Europe, and joined the Russian military under a false name in September 2023, according to his father’s statements to the Washington Post. His death certificate, provided to his family, cited April 4, 2024, as the date of his demise during an assault on Ukrainian positions near Chasov Yar in the DPR. His remains were repatriated to the US in December and cremated in his hometown.