How the Russian army recruited the son of a Deputy Director of the CIA. The disclosures of a journalist
Egor Feokistov, an investigative journalist at the Russian independent publication “Important Stories”, told Euromaidan Press as he discovered that the son of a top official was recruited by the Russian army to fight in Ukraine.
Michael Gloss in the Red Square of Moscow Photo Via Important Stories
On April 25, a news story was around the world: Michael Gloss, the 21 -year -old son of the Deputy CIA director for digital innovation, Juliane Gallina Gloss, died on a Ukraine battlefield.
The news was shocking: the son of some American soldiers, an idealistic and pacifist environmental, who dreamed of helping the poor communities in the world, became a soldier in an invading army.
Friends described Michael's anger towards the US and his vision that “Violence is part of the American political system ”. He would have proposed “To fight against America ”. Another theory is that he wanted a quick way to get Russian citizenship.
His father, the veteran of the US Marine Larry Gloss, who participated in the Operation in the desert (Iraq, 1991) put his son's metamorphosis on his vision “Anti-system and anti-authority” taken to the extreme.
The calendar of events contains an indication: on September 5, 2023, when the visa for Russia expires, it was presented at a recruitment center in Moscow. On April 4, 2024 he died in the battles near Bahmut, eastern Ukraine.
Michael Gloss informed his friends on August 13, 2023 that he was in Russia, more precisely in Vladikavkaz, the capital of Northern Ossetia.
Gloss was later surprised in several videos posted on social networks of Nepalese mercenaries, in which he appeared in Russian military uniform.
Its last activity on the Telegram platform dates from March 14, 2024.
The story of a shocking discovery
In an interview for Euromaidan Press, Feoktistov said he discovered the name Michael Gross in a drained database of a recruitment center in Moscow, which contained information about about 1,500 foreign mercenaries.
“I discovered up to 200 names that were public and known for their participation in the war”, he said.
Putin has announced that Russia will receive foreigners and give them citizenship. But the figures were not known until the database discovered.
“We looked for the press stories about them, such“He said, explaining that the only information about Michael was the name and date of birth.
Only the chats in the Rainbow Family community (a hippie-inspired anti-war movement inspired by Woodstock) and the conversations on the telegram account revealed more details.
In October 2024, a friend announced Michael's death online. The members of the group shared memories of him.
The journalist says many friends were surprised by his decision, but most did not condemn him.
Others “Either they shared his opinions or remained neutral.”
“When Michael arrived in Russia, his opinions were quite radical. His posts showed his deep disillusionment to the American system. He did not like the democrats, the Republicans. He wanted to escape and a completely different social organization, idealizing Russia, despite the fact that he had never been there and probably knew very little,” explained the journalist.
CIA connection. What did Michael's parents know
His father said he learned by his geolocalization that he was in the avant -garde, the Moscow region, but Michael quietly “is nothing serious”
Avangard houses a military training center operated by the Russian Defense Ministry.
Parents suspected that he was following a military training, but it is not clear how much they knew or what actions they undertook.
Michael interrupted any communication with the family in March 2024. They found out about his death only in June 2024.
His mother, Juliane Gallina, with a 30 -year -old career in American secret services, is from February 2024 Deputy Directors of the CIA Digital Innovation Department.
His father, Larry Gloss, after fighting in Iraq, was engaged in cyber security activities for American intelligence services.
Did Russia know who Michael Gloss was?
Although he was a recruit with parents in high-ranking positions in the army and security in the US, there would be no extended checks in his case.
It is unusual, but it seems not to have been interrogated with the family when asked for Russian visa or border control, as is the procedure in the case of foreigners.
“Days in a row, he walked through the red market in an unusual outfit, without attracting or being interrogated”, explained the journalist, emphasizing that there was a negligence and a failure of counter -information that the Russian authorities will definitely investigate and even punish.
How many strangers fight for Russia?
The Ukrainian project “I Want to Live”, which helps the Russian military to surrender safely, has accounted for up to 1,000 foreign recruits, including citizens of the Baltic states.
Egor Feoktistov estimates the number of foreigners in the Russian army between 10,000 and 15,000. Most come are from Belarus, Tadjikistan and other neighboring countries. Under 100 come from European countries such as Austria, Italy, France and the United Kingdom. Most Europeans come from the Balkan countries, where Russia enjoys support.
