Who Is Tim Kirby, and What Is the American Village In Russia?
People are curious after another expatriate was sent to Russia's front lines in Ukraine.
Published July 23 2025, 5:34 p.m. ET

People want to know who Tim Kirby is after an expatriate living near Moscow was sent to the Russian front lines in Ukraine. The man was an American in the process of obtaining citizenship in Russia while living in a settlement known as the American Village Project.
According to United24 Media, via the Russian news outlet Vot Tak, the man — Derek Huffman — left the "woke" United States with his family to live in a settlement in Russia, which promises an escape from “liberal gender norms” and a progressive culture.
Kirby created the settlement sometime after moving to Russia in 2006 and shares videos on Instagram about life in Russia.

Who is Tim Kirby, and what is the American Village in Russia?
Tim Kirby is the founder of a settlement known as the American Village Project, which is near Moscow, Russia. Kirby founded the settlement for Americans fleeing from the progressive values in the U.S. He reportedly built the settlement with the intent of creating "a haven for Americans who reject progressive cultural values and wish to embrace what they view as traditional Russian ones."
Only two homes currently exist in the village due to the cost of installing electricity in the homes.
Kirby shares videos about life in Russia on YouTube to encourage Americans to move to this settlement. One of those people was Derek Huffman, a Texas man who moved his family to the American Village in March of 2025.
The construction crew leader and welder was shocked after he signed up with Russia’s Ministry of Defense to work as a welder and obtain citizenship, only to be sent to the Russian front lines in Ukraine instead.
After the news of the Texas native being sent to the front lines began trending, folks began asking about Tim Kirby and his American Village in Russia, and they are finding out that the settlement is not all it's cracked up to be. According to The Telegraph, his wife DeAnna said Derek was promised a non-combat role.
“He feels like he’s being thrown to the wolves right now, and he’s kind of having to lean on faith," she said. "And that’s what we’re all doing."
Before learning he'd be deployed to the front lines, Huffman — who left the U.S. to get away from "wokeness" — said he didn't want a handout and was proud to serve in the Russian military to obtain citizenship.
“If I risk myself for our new country, no one will say that I am not a part of it," he said. "Unlike migrants in America who come there just like that, do not assimilate, and at the same time want free handouts," per The New York Post.
Huffman does not speak any Russian, yet he is being trained to fight on the front lines in that language. He also has yet to be paid, his wife added.