A U.S. father who moved to Russia in a bid to protect his kids from LGBTQ "indoctrination" is feeling buyer's remorse after he was reportedly sent to the front lines in the invasion of Ukraine despite assurances he wouldn't see combat.
Derek Huffman is a 46-year-old Texas expatriate and vlogger. He moved his wife and three kids to Russia this year seeking more "traditional values." Huffman sought Russian citizenship and joined the country's military with the expectation of non-combat work such as welding.
Instead, The Daily Beast reported Friday feels he is being “thrown to the wolves” and was tricked intp being sent to the front lines. That's according to his wife, DeAnna, who asked for prayers in a video shared on Reddit.
"We are all praying really hard that he can actually be utilized for his skills and not just be put as a fighter," she said. "Unfortunately, there was a few things not quite done that probably should have been done."
DeAnna said her husband signed up to get less money in a bid to have more control over his role, such as a military news reporter.
"That was denied," she said.
After that, the country said he could serve in a repair betallion due to his welding experience.
"Doesn't seem like that's happening," she said, noting the foreigner's unit is being taught in Russian, a language he doesn't understand.
"He's kind of struggling a bit with that," she said, adding: "He feels like he's being thrown to the wolves right now. And he's kind of having to lean on faith."
She said they're petitioning public figures to help their case.
To boot, the family claims they've received no pay for his service.
"Apparently, he's paying for supplies or helping to pay for supplies," she added.