I’m surprised you’re even arguing about the t in Russia thing.
Any billionaire who travels to Russia or China should just assume they are being monitored. Never mind political aspirations. The possibility for industrial espionage or blackmail is just too high.
Even for ordinary non-billionaire citizens, anything that requires the presentation of a passport or use of a bank card will be noted and cataloged -- customs entry points, hotels, airlines, trains, etc. Even back in my Navy days, we were cautioned before going on liberty in foreign ports to be cautious of overly-friendly people who asked lots of questions.