A Monument to the Son of CIA Deputy Director Michael Gloss, Killed in the War in Ukraine, Erected in Donetsk

It was installed at the school that was previously named after Gloss

A bust of the son of CIA Deputy Director Michael Gloss, who was killed in the war in Ukraine, has been installed at Donetsk School No. 115. This was reported by Alexei Kulemzin, the Russia-appointed mayor of Donetsk, who attended the unveiling of the monument.

“A soldier is not a profession, but a calling. There is no foreign land for those who fight for justice <...> May the heroes be glorified!” — reads the plaque attached to the bust.

Next to Gloss’s monument, a bust of Corporal Ivan Kokovin was also installed; they died together while carrying out a combat mission.

In September, School No. 115 also was named after Gloss and Kokovin.

Michael Gloss was the son of CIA Deputy Director for Digital Innovation Juliana Gloss and Larry Gloss, a developer of software for the U.S. Department of Defense and NATO. In 2023, Michael dropped out of school in the United States, joined the hippies, and set off to travel the world. That summer, he ended up in Russia, and by fall he had signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense. On April 4, 2024, he was killed near Chasiv Yar. He was 21 years old.

Putin posthumously awarded Gloss the Order of Courage, which was presented to the parents of the deceased through U.S. presidential envoy Steven Whitkoff.

During his speech at the “Valdai” forum in October 2025, Putin commented on Gloss’s death in the war.

“How does the anthem go? The United States — the home of the brave. Well, he was a brave man. He truly proved it with his actions, with his life. <...> Even though he was an American, he was a Russian soldier,” he said.

The fate of Gloss was first reported by IStories in April 2025; the full investigation can be read here.