Russian President Vladimir Putin has presented a prestigious Soviet-era medal to US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, intended for the family of a young American who died fighting with Russian forces in Ukraine.
The recipient was the son of a senior CIA official.
Putin awards order of lenin via Trump envoy
According to sources cited by CBS, Putin handed the Order of Lenin to real estate executive and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff during a Moscow visit this week.
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Witkoff was reportedly tasked with delivering the award to the family of Michael Gloss, 21, the son of CIA Deputy Director for Digital Innovation Juliane Gallina.
Gloss was killed in April 2024 while serving with Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. Neither the Kremlin nor Russia’s foreign ministry has publicly confirmed the posthumous honor, and it remains unclear what happened to the award. The White House, CIA, and Witkoff have not commented.
Background of a controversial case
Gloss, who had no employment ties to the CIA, reportedly enlisted with Russian troops in autumn 2023. His social media posts from Moscow’s Red Square expressed support for Russia’s stance in the war, calling it “the Ukraine proxy war” and criticizing Western media coverage as “propaganda.”
A CIA statement following his death described it as a “personal tragedy” and noted that Gloss had long struggled with mental health issues. His father, Iraq war veteran Larry Gloss, told the Washington Post their greatest fear was that Moscow would exploit their son’s connection to his mother for propaganda purposes.
The award’s disclosure comes just days before Trump and Putin are set to meet in Alaska to discuss a possible peace plan for Ukraine. Witkoff’s Moscow trip reportedly focused on groundwork for the summit, which will be the leaders’ first face-to-face meeting since Trump’s return to the White House.
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