Father who moved family to Russia to escape ‘woke' America is sent to front line
Derek Huffman, 46, relocated to the small town of Istra, around 25 miles from Moscow, with his wife, their three daughters and their husky earlier this year.
They did this through Russia's 'shared values' visa scheme, aimed at attracting foreigners who reject what Vladimir Putin calls 'destructive neoliberal ideology'.
Mr Huffman had initially agreed to join the Russian military in a non-combat capacity, thinking at first he would be a welder and later a war correspondent.
But despite having no experience as a soldier and limited understanding of the Russian language, he has been sent 'near' the front line in the war with Ukraine, according to his wife.
DeAnna Huffman said her husband felt he was being 'thrown to the wolves' given that he had only received a limited amount of training, and that it was in Russian.
'Unfortunately, when you're taught in a different language, and you don't understand the language, how are you really getting taught?' she pondered in a vlog uploaded to the family's YouTube channel.
'You're not. So, unfortunately, he feels like he's being thrown to the wolves right now, and he's kind of having to lean on faith, and that's what we're all doing.'
Mr Huffman's last message came in June, marking Father's Day in the US. Wearing camouflage and military gear, he appeared in a one-minute video addressed to his family.
'I miss you all more than you can imagine,' he said. 'I can't wait to see you, hopefully I get a vacation at some point and I get to go home and spend a couple of weeks with you.
'But man, you're on my mind 24/7 and just know that what I'm doing is important to me and important to our family. Just know I will do whatever it takes to be safe and to come home to you. Take care of each other.'
'Save this family'
Since then, there have been no new images or videos of Mr Huffman. The family commented on their YouTube channel that he was 'doing fine'.
However, a link on their channel, which has since been deleted, directed users to a Telegram group titled 'Save that little girls'.
Created on Sunday, the group contained one message: 'We are asking the United States government to save this family,' along with a photo of Mrs Huffman and her daughters crying in the street.
It is unclear if the family created the group. The Telegraph has contacted the Huffmans for comment.
Their move to Russia was prompted by their dissatisfaction with what they saw as progressive overreach in the American education system.
After relocating from Arizona to Texas, they were disturbed when their daughter Sophia was expected to speak about lesbian topics at school.
'The final straw was when we found out my daughter Sophia learnt about lesbians from a girl in her class. She didn't fully understand it, but for us, that was enough to realise something had to change,' Mr Huffman told Russia Today.
A trip to Moscow in May 2023 convinced the family that Russia offered the traditional values they desired.
'The city was cleaner, safer, and more orderly than we ever imagined. Most importantly, we found a place that respected our values – where we finally felt at home,' Mr Huffman continued.
Upon arriving in Russia, the family were featured in several state-affiliated media outlets, where they described their move as a rejection of Western cultural values. Mr Huffman said he wanted to earn his place in Russian society not via handouts but through service.
'The point of this act for me is to earn a place here in Russia,' he said. 'If I risk myself for our new country, no one will say that I am not a part of it. Unlike migrants in America who come there just like that, do not assimilate, and at the same time want free handouts.'
But Mrs Huffman has since claimed her husband was misled. 'When he signed up and had all of that done, he was told he would not be training for two weeks and going straight to the front lines,' she said.
'But it seems as though he is getting one more week of training, closer to the front lines, and then they are going to put him on the front lines.'
Mrs Huffman said in her vlog: 'It's been just a few months since our family made the big move from America to Russia, and while we've had amazing adventures, this journey has also brought deep challenges.
'Being alone in a new country, raising kids, and trying to stay strong has tested me in ways I never imagined,' she said.
The Huffmans settled in an 'American village', a settlement in Istra created by US expat and blogger Tim Kirby, who has lived in Russia for two decades. It was founded in 2023 as a refuge for Americans fleeing what Mr Kirby described as 'liberal gender norms'.
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