Read the interviews with him. He took Hong Kong because that's where he could travel without raising suspicion. Russia was supposed to be a layover. In the end

Read the interviews with him. He took Hong Kong because that's where he could travel without raising suspicion. Russia was supposed to be a layover. In the end, it worked out very well for him, because he ended up in powerful countries who weren't in a hurry to do the US Government any favors, but the implication that he's "aiding the enemy" by running to the US's biggest rivals is ludicrous.