When Lines Blur: CIA Deputy Director’s Son Dies in Russian Uniform
It sounds straight out of a spy novel: the son of a senior CIA official, Michael Alexander Gloss, killed in action—but not for his home country. Gloss, just 21, lost his life in Ukraine in spring 2024, but he wasn’t wearing the American stars and stripes. He had joined the Russian Ministry of Defense, reportedly serving with the 137th Ryazan Airborne Regiment. This unit isn’t just made up of Russians. Russian forces have started recruiting foreigners in bigger numbers, including Nepalese men and, as revealed now, a young American whose family roots run deep into US intelligence and the Navy.
Michael Gloss was the son of Juliane Gallina Gloss, the CIA Deputy Director for Digital Innovation, and Larry Gloss, a former US Navy serviceman. That kind of pedigree usually means a golden path lined with state department opportunities, scholarships, maybe even academia. But Michael took a razor-sharp turn that stunned his family and those who knew them. What made him swap sides?
Families and authorities describe the decision as a product of mental health struggles mixed with an outsized dream. Michael reportedly believed that by serving in the Russian military, he could fast-track his route to Russian citizenship. Why the rush? He wanted to engineer a water purification system for Russia—a strange, almost quixotic mission that somehow merged saving the world with fighting in the bloodiest European conflict since WWII.
Foreigners in the Russian Ranks—and a Family Devastated
Gloss signed a contract with Russia’s Ministry of Defense in 2023. He wasn’t alone: Moscow has ramped up foreign recruitment as the Ukraine war drags on, turning to Nepalese laborers, Syrians, and now, at least one American. These recruits are often promised citizenship, economic opportunities, or a sense of purpose. For Michael, the offer of Russian papers and a stepping stone for his environmental ambitions seemed worth the price.
When he died, the details were kept vague. His family’s April 2024 obituary said only that he died “while traveling in Eastern Europe.” The real story—his death while fighting as a Russian military paratrooper inside Ukraine—surfaced later, after online sleuths and independent journalists connected the dots. The CIA Deputy Director’s office finally confirmed his death, but simply called it a “private family matter,” offering no insights into which side he’d chosen in the war. Silent, heavy privacy requests hung over the grieving family, who said only, “We adored our son and grieve his loss every moment.”
But behind the scenes, this story feeds a bigger narrative. Russia, hungry for manpower, is not just recruiting at home anymore. Foreigners, some with wild dreams or troubled pasts, are given new uniforms and promises of a fresh start. Michael’s case is a gut-punch example—a collision between personal crisis, international conflict, and the strange twists of modern identity. It’s a reminder that behind every headline about Ukraine, there’s a family learning to live with the fallout of choices that once seemed unimaginable.