Russian President Vladimir Putin has posthumously honoured Michael Gloss, a 21-year-old American killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, with the Order of Lenin a Soviet-era award for outstanding civilian service. The medal was presented to US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, during his recent trip to Moscow, according to sources cited by CBS. Witkoff was reportedly tasked with delivering the award to Gloss’s mother, Juliane Gallina, the CIA’s deputy director for digital innovation.
The development comes just days before Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet in Alaska to discuss prospects for ending the Ukraine war. Neither the Kremlin nor Russia’s foreign ministry has publicly acknowledged awarding the honour to Gloss, and it remains unclear where the medal currently is. The White House, CIA, and Witkoff have declined to comment.
Gloss’s death was first reported in Russian media in April 2024. He had enlisted with Russian forces in autumn 2023 and had shared social media posts from Moscow’s Red Square expressing pro-Russian sentiments, criticising Western coverage of the conflict, and referring to the fighting as “the Ukraine proxy war.” An obituary published in November 2024 stated he was killed in Eastern Europe on April 4 that year.
The CIA confirmed his death in a statement last April, describing it as a “personal tragedy” for Gallina and her family, and stressing that it was not a national security matter. Gloss was never employed by the CIA, according to a source familiar with the case.
His father, Iraq War veteran Larry Gloss, told The Washington Post that his son had battled mental illness for much of his life. “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,” he said.
The award and its political implications have sparked speculation ahead of the Trump–Putin meeting. The incident highlights the complex intersection of personal tragedy, international diplomacy, and the ongoing geopolitical struggle over Ukraine.
