Witkoff delivers Russia’s Order of Courage to CIA Deputy Director Juliane Gallina, whose son died in Ukraine fighting to advance Moscow’s invasion — CNN
Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s special envoy, has delivered Russia’s Order of Courage to CIA Deputy Director Juliane Gallina. CNN reported the news, citing a senior White House official. The medal was awarded posthumously to Gallina’s son, Michael Gloss, who died fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine last year. Vladimir Putin gave it to Witkoff during his visit to Moscow on August 6. The White House confirmed the gesture, noting that Witkoff, whose son died from an opioid overdose, saw the medal as a personal act by Putin that “transcended geopolitics.” After receiving the medal, “[Juliane] wept with her husband,” the senior administration official told CNN.
Some observers have described Putin’s decision to honor Gloss with a Russian military award as a “diplomatic dig,” given that Gloss — the son of a senior CIA official — died fighting to advance Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Juliane Gallina and her family suffered an unimaginable personal tragedy in the spring of 2024 when her son Michael Gloss, who struggled with mental health issues, died while fighting in the conflict in Ukraine. CIA considers Michael’s passing to be a private family matter for the Gloss family — not a national security issue,” a CIA spokesperson told CNN.
Michael Gloss was the son of two American service members. His mother, Juliane, is the deputy director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. His father, Larry, is a Navy veteran and CEO of Security Information Systems — a company that develops software, including products for the U.S. Department of Defense. News of Michael Gloss’s death in Ukraine first appeared in late April in an investigation by iStories. He arrived in Russia in August 2023, visited several cities, and later signed a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry, joining the 137th Airborne Regiment (unit 41450) in Ryazan. He deployed to the front lines in December 2023 and was killed on April 4, 2024. The exact circumstances are still unclear. His funeral was held in the U.S. eight months later, on December 21, 2024.
CBS News had earlier suggested that Putin gave Witkoff the Soviet Order of Lenin to pass along to Gallina. While the USSR used to present the Order of Lenin, including to foreign nationals, no one has received it since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
