Posted on 07/19/2025 4:34:26 PM PDT by libh8er
American Derek Huffman thought he’d found the perfect solution. Move his family from Texas to Russia for “traditional values.” Join the military for fast-track citizenship. Work as a welder, not a fighter.
Instead, he’s heading to Ukraine’s front lines after three weeks of training despite assurances he would serve in a non-combat role.
Some Americans move to Russia seeking what they view as “traditional values”—conservative Christian beliefs, traditional family roles, and strict opposition to LGBTQ+ rights and “woke” ideologies they feel are overwhelming American culture. Russia’s new “Shared Values” visa program, launched in August 2024, specifically targets these disaffected conservatives by offering residency to foreigners who align with the Kremlin’s moral and spiritual values. While the migrants genuinely seek a cultural environment matching their beliefs, the program serves Russia’s broader propaganda campaign to position itself as morally superior to the “declining” West.
The 46-year-old father of three joined what’s called Tim Kirby’s “American Village” project earlier this year. Kirby, an American media personality living in Russia since 2006, promotes Putin’s agenda to disaffected Americans. The Huffmans documented their journey on social media, appearing in Russian propaganda videos while crowdfunding their new life.
In May, Derek joined the Russian military without prior military experience, expecting to work as a welder. His wife DeAnna explained that Derek was “told he would not be training for two weeks and going straight to the front lines. 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.”
Cont’d…
Traditional values. Idiot.
Be all you be.
Hopefully, the Russians will allow the widow and her kids to come back home.
EX-American Derek Huffman.
“Derek and his unit members were reportedly required to “donate” 10,000 rubles for their own supplies, consuming a substantial portion of his paycheck.”
Does that include the cost his bodybag?
Can’t fix stupid with grinding, just sloppy welds.
The first casualty of war is the truth.
Reminds me of similar stories in Ukraine.
Bottom line - never a good idea to join a foreign military.
He trusted the Russian military.
Bad move.
Vira Kravchuk
A Ukrainian journalist interested in writing human stories from the war in Ukraine and debunking Russian propaganda.
30,000 Americans in the early 30’s moved to Russia during the Great Depression as they were invited by Uncle Joe to live in the Soviet Union and experience the Worker’s paradise.... but in the end only around 100 managed to escape and return to the US. Most wound up in the Gulags and died there.
I remember back in the 80s some dopey US soldier and his German wife defected to the Soviet Union. He realized what a mistake he had made when they gave him a job catching venomous snakes in Turkmenistan and he begged to be returned to US custody as a deserter 8 months later.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, many men went to the former Soviet republics looking for wives. Not many stayed there. For anyone who already had a wife and family, this was incredibly stupid.
She’s doing a good job, wouldn’t you say?
Kinda sad - definitely stupid!
When does a recruiter ever tell the truth. I remember the Navy saying from WW II about the Sea Bees. The guy said, “Most of the time you only work half days. Only in extreme situations would you work a full day”. In a way, I suppose that might have been true. When back of the front, they worked 12-hour days to be ready to deploy. Once they reached their destination they worked 24 hours a day until they dropped.
My Samoan recruiter told me the first 3 weeks of basic training were ‘REALLY TOUGH’-brought out the man in me. Sure fooled me back then. He only wanted my ass to join up. It worked.
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