Putin Awards Order of Lenin to CIA Official Linked to Son’s Death in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has presented the Order of Lenin to senior CIA official Yuliana Gallina, CBS News reports, citing sources. The award was handed over through American real estate developer Steve Witkoff during a meeting with Putin, though the circumstances and fate of the medal remain unclear.

Gallina, currently serving as the CIA’s Deputy Director for Digital Innovation, lost her 21-year-old son, Michael Gloss, in 2024. Reports indicate that Gloss died while fighting on Russia’s side in Ukraine, a fact that both Gallina and his father, Iraq War veteran Larry Gloss, claim they were unaware of. Michael’s obituary states he “tragically died in Eastern Europe” on April 4, 2024.

The Order of Lenin, one of the Soviet Union’s highest honors, has not been officially awarded since the USSR’s dissolution in 1991.