A CIA Director’s Son Joined Russia’s Army To 'Defeat The Military-Industrial Complex’ & Was Killed In Ukraine
Russian as well as independent regional media sources have revealed that a high-ranking CIA official’s son was killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine last year.
The news and story of the young man’s death is highly unusual, given his mother is a US intelligence information warfare and 'disinfo’ expert: the CIA’s Deputy Director for Digital Innovation Juliane Gallina Gloss.

The New York Post among other US media outlets described the CIA official’s son, a longtime global traveler and activist, as having been 'radicalized’ against the US and its foreign policy.
Michael Alexander Gloss, 21, died on April 4, 2024 – based on a family obituary posted by a funeral home in Fairfax, Virginia – but on Friday investigative outlet IStories reported that Russian authorities only informed his family of his death in October. His official obituary only related that he was „tragically killed in Eastern Europe.”
IStories apparently had access to his phone records, given that it published a live recording of Gloss informing his parents that he traveled to Russia, along with many photos including showing life in a Russian barracks with fellow soldier friends who appear to be foreign fighters.
Juliane Gallina Gloss has been the CIA’s deputy director for digital innovation since being appointed in February 2024, and is a career CIA and US Naval intelligence officer.
It is reported that the son of CIA deputy director Julianne Gallina Gloss, 21-year-old Michael Gloss died in Ukraine as a Russian soldier. He signed a contract with Russia’s MoD. His father, Iraq vet Larry Gloss, develops secure software for U.S. and NATO forces pic.twitter.com/HmMyAnym5N
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) April 25, 2025
Among the more interesting parts of the story is how the young man wanted to „defeat the military-industrial complex”:
In the same message, Michael vaguely described his future in which he would “defeat mortality and the military-industrial complex:” “I find myself more and more alive by the minute. Hungry for blood and glory. And basking in the pleasure of knowing that it all is still to be done… But as of now. I might have just incarnated in time to defeat mortality AND the military industrial complex.”
When asked exactly how he plans to defeat the military-industrial complex, Michael replied: “If I told you my real plan you wouldn’t believe me anyway.”
The Amsterdam-based Moscow Times writes that „Gloss was one of more than 1,500 foreign nationals from 48 countries listed in the leaked recruitment database since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.”
The highly detailed IStories Russian investigative report begins below…

In a video, a thin young man with long hair tied in a messy bun carefully releases three tiny chicks from a box onto the grass. A tattoo of a peace sign — the emblem of the anti-war movement — is visible on his finger.
“We found some baby chicken in the [Turkish] local market and Itthobaal had the idea to get a few of them and maybe he will travel with them. He bought maybe three or four chickens and put them in a nice little box with straw and everything he could find. But the next one of the chickens died and the second one too. He was quite sad about it and felt very stupid that he had this dream of a whole journey together with this little new family.”
A year later, Itthobaal — one of the many names that 21-year-old American Michael Gloss used to introduce himself — signed a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry and died in Ukraine. IStories has reconstructed his final route.
This is the story about how a young anti-fascist, environmental activist and women’s rights advocate from the family of a CIA deputy director dreamed of traveling light around the world, but ended up in the Russian army.
Michael Gloss is one of more than 1,500 foreigners who passed through the Russian military recruitment center during the war in Ukraine, whose identities were established by IStories.

Read the full detailed report here.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 04/28/2025 – 04:15