The CIA chief’s son who defected to fight for Russia

A 21-year-old antheral who died warring for the Russian service successful Ukraine has been identified arsenic the lad of a elder authoritative successful the CIA.

Michael Gloss was killed connected the beforehand enactment successful the eastbound Donetsk portion successful April past year, Important Stories, a Russian investigative outlet, reported.

He was the lad of Juliane Gallina, the CIA lawman manager for integer innovation, and Larry Gloss, a US navy seasoned who took portion successful Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War of the aboriginal 1990s.

In 2021, Michael Gloss enrolled astatine the College of the Atlantic successful Bar Harbor, Maine, a wide arts assemblage known for encouraging students to interact with nature. The pursuing year, helium was detained by constabulary astatine a clime protestation successful Washington, DC.

On societal media and successful online chats with members of the Rainbow Family, a countercultural radical that traces its roots to the activism of the 1970s, Gloss spoke of his disgust with America.

He wrote connected Telegram: “When I yet figured retired however the US governmental strategy works, I realised that unit is an integral portion of it.”

On Instagram, helium posted a representation of himself putting up his digit to the US Capitol. Another station showed a burning American flag.

Acquaintances of the erstwhile lad scout and precocious schoolhouse lacrosse subordinate said helium was enraged by Israel’s warfare successful Gaza and had go an avid user of conspiracy theories.

According to Important Stories, helium told 1 person that Western hegemony was fading and that the aboriginal would beryllium a “multipolar world” dominated by the Brics nations, a enactment acquainted from Russian propaganda. Brics is an intergovernmental radical comprising Russia, India, China, Iran and respective different countries.

Robed wanderer earned ‘Jesus’ nickname

Before yet joining the Russian army, the long-haired activistic wandered done Europe and Turkey, sometimes dressing successful a agelong medieval robe and carrying a woody staff.

In April 2023, helium travelled to Israel to sojourn “eco-villages”. Authorities confiscated his belongings and deported him.

In Turkey, present calling himself Hamza, helium joined the alleviation effort aft the earthquake successful the Hatay region. He gained a estimation arsenic a nature-loving eccentric astatine a gathering of the Rainbow Family successful the Turkish borderline municipality of Kiyikoy, astatine 1 constituent being filmed shepherding abandoned chicks into a cardboard box.

Gloss bought a long, reddish robe successful a Turkish covering shop. A friend, Gamze, told Important Stories that Gloss bought each the breadstuff successful a bakery and handed it retired to Rainbow attendees and that radical started to telephone him “Jesus”.

‘Hungry for blood’

In May 2023, helium wrote online: “Mum was telling maine I could conscionable travel backmost immoderate time. She was trying to marque maine illness and telephone her for a summons home.”

But helium said helium was acceptable connected his path. He said: “I find myself much and much live by the minute. Hungry for humor and glory.

“It volition beryllium a bittersweet time for ItthoBa’al [a sanction helium had adopted] erstwhile the nine indispensable beryllium passed connected to the adjacent incarnation. But arsenic of now, I mightiness person conscionable incarnated successful clip to decision mortality AND the subject concern complex.”

When asked however helium planned to decision the latter, helium said radical would not judge him if helium said.

Gloss enters Russia

In the summertime of 2023, helium travelled done Russia, attending a festival and taking pictures successful Red Square, wearing a reddish keffiyeh. In aboriginal September, helium wrote connected Telegram that his Russian visa would expire successful a week.

By autumn 2023, helium obtained a Russian visa successful Istanbul and crossed into Crimea.

By Sept 5, helium had enrolled successful the Russian military, and an introduction with Michael Alexander Gloss’s information appears successful the EMIAS aesculapian database. His code was listed arsenic that of a aesculapian introspection country fixed to overseas recruits, Important Stories reported.

During grooming for the 137th airborne regiment successful the metropolis of Ryazan, helium told chap recruits that helium wanted to summation Russian citizenship truthful helium could prosecute biology infrastructure projects successful the country, Important Stories reported.

Videos posted by Nepalese and different overseas recruits amusement Gloss smiling with his caput shaved. He told “Mert”, a Rainbow Family friend, that helium joined not to combat but to summation a passport.

In 1 message, helium said: “My extremity successful beingness is to physique an infrastructure for the oxidation of h2o successful a supercritical state. To enactment an extremity to biology contamination and the diseases and deaths associated with pollution, that is: cancer, lymphoma and each the hormonal problems associated with microplastics and estrogens successful water.”

Important Stories spoke to a subordinate of the 137th regiment who said that, aft training, Gloss was sent “to the battle units”. He past logged into Telegram successful March.

According to an obituary by his family, Gloss died connected April 4. At the time, the 137th regiment was warring north-west of Soledar, betwixt the towns of Rozdolivka and Vesele.

The positions were described arsenic “unfavourable” and the scenery “severe” successful a Telegram station by the 106th division, which includes the 137th regiment. The nonstop circumstances of Gloss’s decease are unclear.

Eight months aft his death, Gloss’s household held a ceremonial for him successful Fairfax, Virginia.

In the obituary, Gloss’s rank of the Russian service is not mentioned. It reads: “Michael was affectionate and curious, with a acquisition for gathering and fondness for quality and each its creatures.

“[He] had a heightened consciousness of fairness… [and] wanted the satellite to beryllium a amended place.

“He knew the names of trees and plants, loved sleeping nether stars, and cooking connected an unfastened fire.

“With his noble bosom and warrior spirit, Michael was forging his ain hero’s travel erstwhile helium was tragically killed successful Eastern Europe connected April 4 2024.”

Ms Gallina, a navy veteran, joined the CIA successful 2019. On LinkedIn, her illustration says her existent relation involves striving “to accelerate the integer translation of my bureau to support strategical vantage for our nation”.

The CIA was contacted for comment.

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