'Disbelief': Top CIA official's son killed fighting with Russian army

The CIA on Friday broke its silence over the death of Michael Gloss, the son of a senior national security official and an Iraq War veteran, who was killed last April while fighting with Russian forces in Ukraine – one of the few Americans known to have done so, the Washington Post reported.

While Gloss, 21, was killed in Donetsk on April 4, 2024, of “massive blood loss” in an artillery barrage, that he was killed on the battlefield in Ukraine fighting alongside the Russian army was not publicly revealed until Friday, according to the Post, which described Gloss as “a Dylan-loving peacenik who wanted to save the environment.”

His parents told the publication that their son struggled with mental illness for the majority of his life.

“It was with ‘disbelief and devastation’ that his parents, Juliane Gallina — a CIA deputy director for digital innovation — and Larry Gloss, received the tragic news last June, delivered in person by State Department consular affairs official, that their son had been killed in Donetsk province in eastern Ukraine, where Russia backed a separatist insurgency in 2014 and invaded outright in 2022, escalating its control of the territory,” the Post reported Friday.

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Until that time, the couple had no idea their son was in Ukraine fighting with the Russian army.

“It was absolutely news to us that he was involved in any military relationship with Russia,” Larry Gloss said in an interview with the publication.

The CIA released a brief statement on Friday. “CIA considers Michael’s passing to be a private family matter — and not a national security issue. The entire CIA family is heartbroken for their loss.”

Ralph Goff, a former senior CIA official who oversaw operations in Europe and Eurasia and has spent significant time in Ukraine, also expressed sadness for the family.

“For the parents, it’s just a great tragedy,” he is quoted as saying.

Michael Gloss’s remains were cremated the week his body was returned, according to the Post. His November obituary made no mention of the war or Russia, the publication reported. It simply said: “With his noble heart and warrior spirit Michael was forging his own hero’s journey when he was tragically killed in Eastern Europe.”