Overview

• The Kremlin’s ‘shared values’ visa program lured Derek Huffman and his family from Texas to Istra earlier this year with promises of traditional values and fast-track citizenship.
• Enlisting under the scheme expecting a noncombat role as a welder or war correspondent, Huffman was instead deployed near Ukraine’s active front line without prior military experience.
• DeAnna Huffman says her husband underwent minimal training in Russian, has not been paid for his service and has not been heard from since a Father’s Day message in June.
• A now-deleted Telegram plea requesting U.S. government intervention underscores the family’s growing fear and reliance on external assistance.
• Istra’s so-called “American village,” intended to attract anti-liberal expats, has drawn only two families, highlighting the shortcomings of Moscow’s recruitment strategy.