08/10/2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin has presented US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff with a special award to pass on to a senior CIA official whose son was killed while fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war. During Witkoff's visit to Russia, Putin gave the Order of Lenin to Trump's special envoy, sources familiar with the matter told BBC's US partner CBS. Michael Gloss, 21-year-old son of a CIA official, Juliane Gallina, who is currently the CIA's deputy director for digital innovation, was killed in Ukraine last year. This comes after it was confirmed that US President Donald Trump will be meeting Putin in Alaska next week to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war and ceasefire. However, Russia has not announced it publicly. The Order of Lenin is a Soviet-era award, recognising outstanding civilian service. Gloss's family will be receiving the award, as per the BBC report. The death of Michael Gloss The reports of Gloss's death first emerged earlier in April; however, only Russian media broke the news. Later that month, the CIA released a statement, saying that Gloss had been suffering from mental health problems, adding that his death was not a national security issue. A person familiar with the matter told CBS that Gloss was never an employee of the CIA. Moreover, the Kremlin did not initially appear to be aware of the family background of Gloss, who enlisted with Russian forces in autumn 2023. Last year, Gloss shared posts, expressing support for Russia, calling it the "Ukraine Proxy war". He shared selfies in Moscow's Red Square and dismissed media coverage of the conflict as "western propaganda". The CIA, in its statement, wrote that Gallina and her family had suffered an "unimaginable personal tragedy". Larry Gloss, Gloss's father, who is an Iraq war veteran, told the Washington Post that their son had struggled for most of his life with mental illness. "Our biggest fear while we were waiting for him to be repatriated was that someone over there [in Moscow] would put two and two together and figure out who his mother was, and use him as a prop," Gloss's family said.Tech Provider