Russian President Vladimir Putin has presented a prestigious Soviet-era medal to a special envoy for US President Donald Trump, intended for the family of a young American who was killed fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. The American was the son of a high-ranking CIA official.
According to sources cited by CBS, Putin gave the Order of Lenin to real estate executive and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff during a visit to Moscow this week. Witkoff was reportedly tasked with delivering the posthumous honor to the family of Michael Gloss, 21, the son of Juliane Gallina, the CIA’s Deputy Director for Digital Innovation. Gloss was killed in April 2024 while serving with Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. The Kremlin, Russia’s foreign ministry, the White House, CIA, and Witkoff have not publicly commented on the award.
A Controversial Background
Gloss, who had no ties to the CIA, reportedly enlisted with Russian troops in the fall of 2023. His social media posts from Moscow expressed support for Russia’s position on the war, which he referred to as “the Ukraine proxy war,” and criticized Western media as “propaganda.”
Following his death, a CIA statement described it as a “personal tragedy” and noted that Gloss had struggled with mental health issues for a long time. His father, Iraq war veteran Larry Gloss, told the Washington Post that their greatest fear was that Moscow would use their son’s connection to his mother for propaganda purposes.
The disclosure of this award comes just days before a planned meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska to discuss a potential peace plan for Ukraine. Witkoff’s trip to Moscow was reportedly focused on laying the groundwork for this summit, which will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Trump’s return to the White House.
