Up to 1,500 „ideological immigrants,” including 127 Americans, have applied for temporary residence in Russia in the past year. For those seeking „true Christian values,” a cultural shock followed.
Two years ago, Derek and DeAnna Huffman desperately wanted to leave Humble, a suburb of Houston. They believed their three daughters were being brainwashed at public school and by mainstream American media to support LGBTQ rights. They felt that American culture, in general, no longer offered white people the same opportunities as other races.
The couple wanted to live in a place that shared their "Christian values" and where they "would not be discriminated against" for being white Christians and politically conservative.
So, in March, the Huffman family was the first to move to a community designed for English speakers, located about 48 kilometers west of Moscow, a project they had followed online, led by Tim Kirby, an American expatriate and former RT presenter sponsored by the Kremlin.
The Huffmans are among the few Americans who have moved to Russia, but the number of those leaving the USA for Putin's country is growing, as they believe the United States has become too "woke," reports NBC News.
How Many "Ideological Immigrants" Have Come from the USA to Russia
The Russian government welcomed these cultural war refugees with open arms. In 2024, Vladimir Putin issued an executive order offering temporary residence to those willing to move to Russia, as they rejected the "destructive neoliberal ideological attitudes" of their home countries.
Approximately 1,500 of these "ideological immigrants," as they have been dubbed by the Russian media, including 127 Americans, have applied for temporary residence in Russia, according to the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs.
"President Putin is an amazing leader and has done great things for Russia. He is unlike anything you see in the news," said 45-year-old Derek Huffman in a YouTube video on his family's channel on March 9.
Moved to Russia and Ended Up Fighting in Ukraine
Initially, the family found a community of Russians and Westerners on social media who helped them move, through donations from some of their 15,000 YouTube subscribers, providing financial support after their arrival in Russia. But when Derek Huffman volunteered for the Russian army in May, the family became a lightning rod for broader online scrutiny.
Derek Huffman said he volunteered to expedite the process of obtaining Russian citizenship for his family members, as well as to show support for their new homeland.
"Beyond citizenship, money, a lot of it for me is about respect and earning our place here, in Russia," he said on YouTube on May 26.
But in a video posted in June, which was later deleted, 42-year-old DeAnna Huffman said her husband had been "thrown to the wolves."
The couple had hoped that Derek Huffman would use his previous welding experience in the repair battalion and "be utilized for his skills," she said in the video. Instead, he was sent straight to the front line and struggled to understand instructions in Russian during training.
Thanks to All Russians
Although there were rumors that he had been killed on the front line, Derek reappeared in several videos on his family's YouTube channel, celebrating his daughter's birthday and signing forms to receive Russian citizenship.
In one of the videos, he said he had returned "on vacation" after being deployed for six months and praised his wife for keeping the family together while he was away on the front line.
"I am happy to still be alive and doing everything I can to survive and serve Russia. I am very grateful to all the Russians who helped my family while I was away," he emphasized.
Disappointed in America, Refugees in the "Paradise" of Traditional Family
Another American family, the Hares, moved from Abilene, Texas, to Russia to shield their three sons from the "harmful elements of American culture."
"It was the promise of a country that will not promote the LGBT agenda. We liked the fact that LGBT is practically banned here officially," said Leo Hare, 62, to NBC News in a video call from the family's new home in Ivanovo, Russia.
Russia has strict laws against the "promotion of non-traditional sexual relations," which, in practice, have banned the public display of LGBTQ identity, including wearing or posting the rainbow flag on social media.
His wife, Chantelle Hare (53), says in a YouTube video that when they lived in the USA, she and her husband preferred to get informed by following Alex Jones and Mike Adams, extreme right-wing commentators and conspiracy theory advocates.
Very disappointed with American politics after the 2020 elections, the Hares do not believe that Donald Trump's return to power will change the country enough to convince them to return.
"When we left, it was final. We do not plan to return. There will be nothing to return to," said Chantelle Hare. Even though they endured many hardships trying to build a new life in Russia.
Victims of a Scam
The family went through an extremely cold winter caring for chickens, horses, and rabbits on a farm located 110 km south of Moscow in exchange for free meals. At one point, they even had to bring the goats and newborns into their cabin to prevent them from freezing to death.
Leo Hare thought their troubles were over when the son of the farm owner offered them a generous return to invest their savings, $50,000, in what he described as a car import business. But they received only one payment, after which he stopped paying and refused to return their investment, Leo Hare said.
The couple went to the police and filed a complaint with the local court, showing they had been scammed, but they say they received no help from the authorities.
The problems did not end there.
Disappointed in the Russian School, But Still Won't Return to the USA
The Hare family's sons, aged 17, 15, and 12, have struggled to adapt to life in Russia, and the two older boys want to return to America, according to their father. They feel isolated and are disappointed in the Russian school because they have to pass a mandatory Russian language test to study in public schools.
Leo and Chantelle, who ran a carpet cleaning business and a mobile snack business in the USA, now work as English language tutors. They have found an apartment in Ivanovo, northeast of Moscow, and "are living very comfortably now." Currently, they homeschool their children.
If they had known about the restrictions in the Russian education system, this "would have been a deciding factor" to stay in the USA, Leo Hare now admits.
The Huffman and Hare families do not know each other, NBC News reports.
Leo Hare says he never considered enlisting in the military due to his age and safety concerns and says Derek Huffman "assumed a bit too much" about life in the Russian army. "We assumed a lot too," he admitted. "But we have faith in Christ, and He leads us, even though we have made mistakes."
T.D.