The son of the deputy director of the US Central Intelligence Agency Michael Gloss with a pacifist tattoo and a desire to travel the world, saving it from the environmental crisis, ended up in the Russian army and died in the war against Ukraine.
The publication "Important Stories" found out information about the last years of the life of Mike Gloss, who became one of more than one and a half thousand foreigners who passed through the recruitment point for a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense in Moscow.
Michael Alexander Gloss was born into a military family. His mother, Julianne Gloss, was the first female Commandant of the US Naval Academy, worked in intelligence for over 30 years, served in the Navy, and is currently the CIAʼs deputy director for digital innovation. His father, Larry Gloss, is a Navy veteran and cybersecurity specialist who now runs a company that creates software for the US government and NATO.
After school, Michael Gloss entered the College of the Atlantic, where he studied Human Ecology — the science of the relationship between man and nature. His college was known for its environmental approach and participation in public actions, in particular in support of Ukraine. During his studies, he advocated for womenʼs rights, protesting against the ban on abortion.
In 2022, he was detained at a climate protest when activists tried to disrupt a baseball game sponsored by corporations.
«Важные истории»
But Michael didnʼt have time to finish his studies — he went on a trip. In the winter of 2023, Michael Gloss left the United States. In February, he posted a video in a hammock at a villa in the Italian town of Amendolara, and in March he posted a photo with the hashtag #endukrainewar.
In April, he said in the Rainbow Family Telegram chat that he tried to get to Jerusalem, but was deported, and then the man went to the “Balkan Gathering” — a meeting of the “Rainbow Family” on the border of Turkey and Bulgaria. Michael’s Turkish girlfriend says that at the Balkan gathering, he lived in a camp with a Ukrainian family and a Russian friend, played music and talked with people from all over the world.
«Важные истории»
Gloss later traveled to earthquake-ravaged Hatay, Turkey, where he helped clear away rubble. In Turkey, he began calling himself Hamza.
On his VKontakte page, Michael wrote: “I ran away from home. I traveled the world.” According to his friend, Michael criticized the United States, considered himself privileged, but did not accept the American system. One of his acquaintances recalled that Michael spoke about the decline of the West and videos about Palestine. He thought about moving to Russia under the influence of conspiracy videos.
In Istanbul, the American received a Russian visa. Although his parents asked him to return, he continued to travel. In August 2023, the man crossed the border with Russia, traveled to different cities, visited Volgograd and Moscow. At a festival near Moscow, he lived in a makeshift hut made of branches, decorated it with the USSR flag, and shared stolen cheese.
On September 1 of that year, Gloss wrote that his visa was expiring and was looking for temporary housing in Moscow. And already on September 5, a record with the data of Michael Alexander Gloss appeared in the database of the Unified Medical Information and Analytical System of Moscow. His address was indicated as a point of recruitment for a contract on Yablochkova Street. This address was attributed to foreigners who went to Moscow to sign a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense and went to fight against Ukraine.
Michael Gloss was sent to the Avangard training center in the Moscow region. He was then transferred to a military unit, presumably in Ryazan. There, Gloss created a profile on a dating service, indicating that he was serving in the Russian Armed Forces and learning Russian. He posted pro-Russian content on social media.
«Важные истории»
Michael said that he joined the army not for war, but for Russian citizenship, which would supposedly help implement his environmental project — purifying water from microplastics.
In December, the American told friends from the Rainbow Family that he wanted to get a Russian passport and travel to Africa. But soon he was sent to the front in the Donetsk region. He last logged into Telegram in March 2024. Michael Gloss died on April 4, details are unknown. The man was buried on December 21 in the United States. The family learned about their sonʼs death only two months before.
- An investigation by the publication "Important Stories" found that mercenaries from at least 48 countries are fighting for Russia.
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