Russian President Vladimir Putin handed the U.S. envoy a medal for a 21-year-old American who was killed fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.

The award, the Order of Lenin, was handed to President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, during a sit-down in Russia last week, CBS News reported. It will be delivered to the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) deputy director for digital innovation, Juliane Gallina, whose son, Michael Gloss, died in Ukraine in 2024.

Established in 1930, the Order of Lenin was the Soviet Union’s highest civilian honor, awarded to individuals, institutions, and groups who contributed significantly to national defense or socialist ideals. It has previously been bestowed on high-level spies, including Kim Philby, the infamous British double age

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