DONETSK, September 9. /TASS/. US national Michael Gloss, son of the CIA deputy chief, who was killed while fighting for Russia in the special military operation, died a hero’s death, Russian Airborne Force Commander Mikhail Teplinsky said on Tuesday.
"He died a hero, truly. He, like many others, strove to liberate Donbass," Teplinsky said at a ceremony to name School N115 in Donetsk after Order of Courage honorees Ivan Kokovin and Michael Gloss.
"We told his parents about what he did. They can be proud of their son, because he grew up to be a worthy citizen of both the United States and, we can say, of the Russian Federation," he continued.
"Perhaps others look at him as strange, but for us he was an ordinary paratrooper, fulfilling his duties just like all the rest of us, fighting side by side with us," Teplinsky told journalists. "He was fighting in the area of Chasov Yar, he was liberating Donbass."
"Just like many others he participated in assault actions shoulder to shoulder with his brothers-in-arms," he said, adding that many foreign nationals are fighting on the Russian side in the special military operation in Ukraine.
"Many foreign nationals serve in the [Russian] Airborne Force and not only in the Airborne Force, doing their duty," Teplinsky added.
Last month, CNN reported, citing a high-ranking US administration official that US special envoy Steve Witkoff presented the Order of Courage, awarded by Russian President Vladimir Putin, to the family of Michael Gloss. According to CNN's source, Witkoff thought it was right for the Order of Courage to go to the deceased's mother, Juliane Gallina, who has been the CIA's deputy director for digital innovation since February 2024.
In April, Michael's father, Larry Gloss, said in an interview with The Washington Post that his son had died in the Donetsk People's Republic. "It was absolutely news to us that he was involved in any military relationship with Russia," the father of the deceased said. According to him, the death certificate issued in Russia indicates that Michael Gloss died on April 4, 2024. He was buried in December after his remains were handed over to his relatives, The Washington Post said.