Glenn Michael Souther

Who is Glenn Michael Souther?

Glenn Michael Souther, also known as Mikhail Yevgenyevich Orlov, was a U.S. Navy photographer who gave up U.S. citizenship to become a Soviet citizen in 1986. At first, when he asked for Soviet citizenship, Soviet counter-intelligence was confused, suspecting him of being a CIA-plant, sent on an espionage mission. However, after Soviets found out that there was no secret plot behind his endeavour, they quickly promoted him from NCO up to the Major's rank. He settled down in the USSR, married a Russian woman, who taught English in one of the Moscow universities. Three years after his defection he committed suicide, aged 32.