1/ The short and potentially tragic journey of American émigré Derek Huffman, who moved with his family from Texas to Russia to escape gays and pornography, joined the Russian army and was sent to the front in Ukraine, is documented by his YouTube channel. ⬇️ 
2/ Until recently, Huffman has vlogged his migration to Russia on his family's YouTube channel, 'Huffman Time'. He described his reasons for the move in a video of March 4, 2025:
3/ "We were motivated by our concerns over LGBT indoctrination in the American schools, unhealthy food, and a desire for a safer environment that is aligned with our Christian values.
4/ "After homeschooling our children for two years, we researched options and discovered an American village project in Russia for English-speaking Christians.
5/ "Following a successful visit to Moscow, we sold our land in Texas and began the immigration process, which included obtaining visas and preparing for life in Russia."
6/ The project in question is the so-called 'American Village', a project initiated by right-wing American broadcaster and pro-Russian propagandist Tim Kirby, who moved to Russia in 2006. He converted to Russian Orthodoxy in what has become something of a fashion on the US right.
7/ Kirby says, "It is important to me that there is no LGBT propaganda in Russia. In the West, it is everywhere — in advertising, in computer games, even in schools, children are told that this is normal."
8/ He wants to "build an American village in an open field for my compatriots who do not want to live and raise their children in a society with LGBT propaganda." The 'village' is a small and still ongoing development at Bolshaya Voda in the Istra district near Moscow.
9/ Vladimir Putin has indirectly lent his support by allowing foreigners "who share traditional Russian spiritual and moral values" to move to Russia without taking a test in the Russian language and Russian history.
10/ The Huffmans say that they were outraged that American children were "stuffed with LGBT propaganda" and that "today all cartoons are about sex and gender." They moved from Arizona to Texas and began homeschooling their three teenage girls, but were still not happy.
11/ "We couldn't accept that our daughters were growing up in such a world. And the food in America is very unhealthy. They want us to be fat and stupid, controllable. It's more profitable for them to have us sick and spend money on medicine all the time.
12/ "We didn't want to be sick. I didn't want my children to be zombified."
13/ Derek Huffman complains about the "moral decline" of the West, saying that in America children are taught about sex before they even understand what it is, and libraries are filled with pornographic books.
14/ When the Huffmans learned of Kirby's 'American Village' project, they decided to sell their land in Texas and invest their savings in a small two-room home in Russia. Huffman says they found it much more to their liking:
15/ "We are just grateful that we were able to leave and now we are raising our children the way we want. In a great country. Putin is a great leader, he has done a lot for Russia. It is safe here.
16/ "We went to the city yesterday and saw children of about eight years old calmly riding on a bus alone. Everyone knows where they are going. The streets are clean, people respect their country. They do not throw cigarette butts, do not throw garbage out of cars.
17/ "The culture here is amazing. People are kind. The state does not interfere in your life as long as you do not break the law."
18/ Only a few weeks later, Huffman decided to join the Russian army so that he could obtain accelerated citizenship rather than having to wait 5 years. His wife DeAnna announced it to their daughters in another video: "Daddy signed a contract with the army. It's official now."
19/ Huffman says he wants to "earn the right to live in Russia," complaining that migrants come to the US without respect for the local culture and without the desire to integrate, and he does not want people to think the same about him in Russia.
20/ He says: "I am defending the country, our country. I deserve my place here. And no one can accuse me or my family of the opposite. Russia started the war in Ukraine to protect the Russian-speaking population there."
21/ "Russia is doing the right thing, the Nazi regime in Ukraine must be stopped."
22/ DeAnna Huffman posted a new video on June 8 talking about her hopes of becoming an English teacher at a local school or kindergarten. She describes how her husband is getting on at a military training camp:
23/ "It’s hard without my husband. Many people ask how he’s doing. He’s at the training base. It’s hard. He’s only eating dry rations, not much water, his stomach hurts. He’s losing weight, he’s happy, but also sad."
24/ Derek Huffman appears in an insert in the video, saying: "DeAnna, Sophia, Ashlyn, Katherine, I love you very much. I miss you. I’m doing everything I can to come back to you alive and, hopefully, a hero."
25/ According to DeAnna, the equipment her husband was given was "not very good" but "a kind person" gave him boots, a bulletproof vest, and a helmet.
Things appear to have spiralled downwards from there in subsequent videos.
Things appear to have spiralled downwards from there in subsequent videos.
26/ On June 14, DeAnna posted a video in which she said that three years ago she was able to overcome a severe alcohol addiction, but after her husband went to the front, she started drinking again.
27/ Another video on June 17 – now deleted from YouTube but still viewable on Reddit – shows DeAnna in an even more depressed mood. She says that her husband was deceived about his service and was sent to the front line. They had expected that he would be employed as a welder.
28/ "He has a welding certificate and really a lot of experience in construction and welding. We thought that he would be transferred to a safer place and would be able to use this experience. But, unfortunately, we are not sure that this will happen."
29/ "So I continue to pray to the Lord."
She says that Derek tried to get a job as a war reporter at the front, but was rejected. Then he wanted to get a job as a repairman, but that didn't happen either. She says he "feels like he is being thrown to the wolves right now."
She says that Derek tried to get a job as a war reporter at the front, but was rejected. Then he wanted to get a job as a repairman, but that didn't happen either. She says he "feels like he is being thrown to the wolves right now."
30/ "In addition, the training in the unit for foreigners is only in Russian, and he does not know the language well. Because of this, he learns almost nothing: if you do not understand the language, then how are you going to learn anything?
31/ "He feels like he was just thrown into the thick of things, and now he can only rely on faith. We are all praying for the situation to change.
32/ We have also reached out to several famous people, we hope that one of them will help ensure that he is sent to a place where he will be more useful."
To make matters worse, Derek's salary has not been paid.
To make matters worse, Derek's salary has not been paid.
33/ No more videos about Derek Huffman have appeared on the family channel since then. Instead, DeAnna has continued posting videos about family life, the imminent arrival of her mother in Russia and the submission of documents for citizenship. /end
Source:
novayagazeta.eu/articles/2025/…
novayagazeta.eu/articles/2025/…
Also of relevance: foreignpolicy.com/2024/10/18/rus…
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