In late July 2025, amid high media interest in Derek Huffman, a Texas man who moved his family to Russia to escape LGBTQ+ values in the U.S., a claim (archived) circulated online that Huffman had died in combat after enlisting in the Russian armed forces.
One X user wrote, “American Derek Huffman, who fled to russia over ‘LGBT propaganda,’ was killed on the front lines by a drone strike.” The user attributed the claim to The Maltese Herald, a news site from Malta that ran the story on July 23, 2025.
The claim also circulated on Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), Threads (archived), Bluesky (archived), Reddit (archived) and TikTok (archived). Snopes readers searched our page, asking whether the claim was true.
We found no evidence Huffman had died in combat at the time of this writing. The Huffman Time YouTube channel, where the family documented their move to Russia, told several commenters on July 24 that Derek Huffman was alive. We also found no evidence of a reported video showing Huffman’s death.
DeAnna Huffman, Derek Huffman’s wife, told Snopes via email on July 25 that “we are not doing any interviews or answering any questions at this time.” A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the department was “aware of unconfirmed media reports of a U.S. citizen killed in Ukraine,” and reiterated a warning against U.S. citizens traveling to Russia. We also reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to confirm whether Derek Huffman had died in combat and await a reply.
The claim appeared to stem from a July 23 report in The Maltese Herald. That report, which the Herald has since updated, claimed Derek Huffman died in a drone strike on the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine war. It further claimed that footage of Huffman’s death circulated online, but did not provide any links. We reached out to The Maltese Herald to ask why it initially believed the story to be true and await a reply.
The updated version of the Herald’s report included screenshots of the Huffman Time YouTube channel, run by DeAnna Huffman in her husband’s absence, denying reports of his death.
Despite this, the report still included the sentence “Derek Huffman, the US citizen from Texas, has been confirmed killed on the Ukrainian front lines by a drone strike.” The Maltese Herald also had not updated an X post (archived) that claimed Derek Huffman died in combat.
DeAnna Huffman, via the Huffman Time YouTube Channel, replied to a comment on July 24 reading, “Update: Derek has passed,” writing in a series of comments:
Why are you here lying? He’s with his unit and for safety, not allowed to. Let people talk and lie. We know the truth, and when safe, it will eventually be widely seen. Yes, I understand you believe everything that the news says… and my husband and I have been laughing about it. You’re more than welcome to believe the lies.
Huffman said her husband was “alive and well.”
We found no reports in Russian media about Derek Huffman dying. On July 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media he had not previously heard about Huffman joining the armed forces but that it was possible for foreigners to volunteer.
Snopes previously reported that Huffman enlisted with the Russian armed forces as a way to secure Russian citizenship for his family. Huffman said he moved himself, his wife and three daughters from Texas to Russia in order to escape LGBTQ+ values in the U.S.
Sources:
“Anti-Woke Dad Who Moved Family to Russia Sent to War Zone.” The Daily Beast, 20 Jul. 2025, https://www.thedailybeast.com/texan-moved-fam-to-russia-to-flee-wokenow-hes-headed-to-ukraine-front-line/.
Bennetts, Marc. Texan Who Fled ‘Woke’ America Has Been Sent to Putin’s Front Line. 22 Jul. 2025, https://www.thetimes.com/world/russia-ukraine-war/article/derek-deanna-huffman-family-conscripted-tvxht35l5.
“Derek Huffman Confirmed Killed by a Drone Strike.” The Maltese Herald, 23 Jul. 2025, https://archive.ph/KQAjB#selection-301.0-301.48.
Huffman Time. “Girls Show Their Art, Summer Hats & Russian Life Updates 🇷🇺 | Big News & Fun Moments!” YouTube, 15 Jul. 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDBZDPvI4po.
Reyes, Ronny. American Who Joined Russian Army to Escape “woke” US Has Been Sent to the Frontlines, Wife Says. 22 Jul. 2025, https://nypost.com/2025/07/22/world-news/american-who-joined-russian-army-to-escape-woke-us-has-been-sent-to-the-frontlines-wife-says/.
“Песков прокомментировал данные о добровольце из США Хаффмане на СВО.” TACC, https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/24610255. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
