Overview

• The Huffmans relocated from Texas to Istra earlier this year through Russia’s Kremlin-backed “shared values” visa program to escape what they saw as “woke” American culture.
• Derek Huffman signed up expecting roles as a welder or war correspondent but was sent near Ukraine’s front line despite no combat experience.
• His only known contact since deployment was a one-minute Father’s Day video in June, and no new footage or messages have emerged.
• A deleted Telegram link on the family’s YouTube channel once urged the US government to “save this family,” highlighting their distress.
• Russia’s shared-values visa initiative aims to recruit ideological migrants and supplement military manpower in a context of heavy wartime casualties.