Texas Dad Flees ‘Woke’ US, Lands in Russia’s Warzone With Husky

Texas man Derek Huffman uprooted his family of five plus husky from suburban America to Istra, Russia, hoping for ‘shared values’—instead, he’s now pressed near Ukraine’s front line. Trending: Why do Americans move to Russia? What is life like in Istra? Huffman, 46, arrived expecting a welding gig but instead received military fatigues and a crash course in Cyrillic. His wife reports, “He felt thrown to the wolves,” after just a handful of training sessions outside Moscow.
After swapping Texas highways for Istra’s frosty outskirts, Huffman’s plan for non-combat welding in Russia morphed quickly when authorities reassigned him to soldier duty. Top searches ask: Can Americans serve in the Russian army? What happens to foreigners drafted in Russia? Despite minimal Russian and zero combat experience, Huffman finds himself defending Putin’s ‘shared values’ with a helmet, a welder’s confusion, and his husky presumably plotting an escape. His wife’s take: “He’s not even sure which side he’s on.”
In a year when 2 out of 10 American expats in Russia cite ‘culture wars’ as a reason for moving, only one—Derek Huffman—ended up trading a welding torch for a front row seat at the Ukraine border.