The murder of USMC veteran and student Catherine Serou has again shifted the conversation on when Americans, American veterans included, should and should not go to Russia.
Catherine was tragically murdered by a stranger who had offered her a ride after her Uber didn’t come on time.
Let’s be clear about one thing first: What happened to Catherine could have happened anywhere.
According to the account provided to the Daily Beast by Catherine’s mother, Catherine may have been killed because she was simply a nice person, rushing to make a payment on time:
I’ve seen a video of Catherine since this happened, and she appears to be a very nice and slightly shy woman who’s obviously going out of her way to be extra polite while in a foreign country. She seems to be exactly the type of person who’ll make a snap decision when trying to rectify a situation wherein something had gone wrong. A salon worker needed to be paid. And Catherine wound up paying with her life.
The only person at fault for what happened here is the murderer — Alexander Popov, who has a history of violence toward women. Men like him exist everywhere, and should be locked up forever, end of discussion. Conversations such as, “Why was she in Russia in the first place,” are completely beside the point AND an exercise in victim-blaming. Violent, knife-wielding rapists are not exclusive to Russia, we all know that.
By all accounts, Catherine loved Russia. And why not? Russia is a beautiful country, with a really interesting history and culture. I spent seven years in Russia myself, and as difficult as they were, I know exactly where Catherine was coming from.
There are, however, instances where one should definitely NOT travel to Russia, as I’ve mentioned before. While Catherine’s murder does not appear to be connected to her prior service, I generally advise U.S. military veterans from visiting at this time.
Some of this, obviously, depends on how sensitive your job was. Would you be an attractive quarry for unpleasant people?
More importantly, however, is the fact that a U.S. military veteran always stands the chance of catching the wrong person’s eye.
What people have to understand is that becoming a target in Russia can be random. When Paul Whelan was grabbed, it was planned.
When Trevor Reed was grabbed — it seemed opportunistic. Trevor was visiting his girlfriend, had been at a party, things had gone wrong at that party, and he wound up in a police station. It was there that the FSB discovered him. I have seen this happen in Russia before. A FSB guy comes across an American man by chance, and decides to impress his bosses by working him. FSB guy finds out you have prior service? He’ll be even more interested.
Today, Whelan and Reed are both high-profile hostages, pawns in a bigger game. It sucks. Russian officials aren’t stupid, they know that many Americans are going to be interested in a veteran’s fate. You can see how this plays out politically. It gives Russians leverage.
In light of this, my question is: Do you want to risk it? Yes, Russia can be very cool. Russian women are attractive. I like Russian women myself. But you have to be aware that in Russia, things can go wrong very quickly, especially now.
There is a lot of seething hatred and resentment of American service members and veterans in Russia — especially towards the men, not so much the women. It’s an ego thing, a dick-measuring contest, if you will.
A few years before I left, I was at a party with a very drunk and obnoxious Russian official, who knew a couple of my friends there. We were talking about the Middle East, and I mentioned how when I lived there, I faced the tough choice of explaining to people that I’m American (in spite of looking very stereotypically Slavic in their eyes). Being American warded off sexual harassment, but, on the other hand, it opened me up to the possibility of violence by people with political grievances.
The Russian official was incensed by my story. He didn’t like the fact that me being American gave men trying to harass and/or rape me some pause. He went on an epic rant about how women like me “always expect their fucking military” to protect them and threaten others on their behalf. Then he went on an ugly rant about the U.S. military in general. Of course, my story had nothing to do with the military — it’s just that a lot of conservative Arabs see Russian and Ukrainian women as more “available,” and hence are disrespectful. But that’s not how he read it.
It was an annoying experience, but it gave me a lot of insight. From then on, I started noticing the way Russian men speak of the U.S. military — whether it was coming from a place of grudging respect or angry revanchism.
So if you do go to Russia, please know that your prior service will be, at the very least, remarked upon. And someone may want to start a random fight with you, or worse.
Is it as dangerous as the Middle East? No. But you should still exercise caution. If you can, avoid Russia altogether. Especially now.
As for people who are active duty/in the reserves, I see no point in going to Russia unless it’s on official business (and, as you all know, being aware that you will be watched while there). Same should go for civilian DoD employees and contractors. You have a huge target painted on your back. Why risk it?
And do you also want to risk your clearance? I am just saying.
As far as everyone else is concerned — again, you should know the potential dangers of randomly encountering anti-American sentiment, especially now. Knowing and acknowledging said dangers is not the same as being russophobic or prejudiced. It’s just common sense. I’ve been in various hairy situations in Russia because of my Americanness — and I’ve also been in some great ones, precisely for that same reason. But I am also someone who is fluent in the language, has a typical Russian name, and blends in really well. My experience is not representative.
Here I am with my boy among equally typical Russian beryozkas (birch trees), about a year before we left for good:
While my abusive marriage played a huge part in my decision to leave, the fact that it was getting more dangerous for Americans also played a role. By the time that picture was taken, in 2016, I had already been harassed by people connected to the security services. Dmitry Kiselyov, Russia’s top propagandist, had told people I know that I am a “traitor” (I’m not even from Russia, my dude, but OK). The writing was on the wall, and today I couldn’t come back at all.
Do I miss it? Not really. Again, Russia is a beautiful place. It’s where I gave birth to my amazing son. It’s where I gained invaluable work and life experience — in the media, in film, and in the theater. And I miss my friends every day. And miss affordable childcare and the wonderful Moscow metro even more so.
But at the end of the day, being a loudmouth Ukrainian-American who can’t keep her opinions to herself is too hard and frankly dangerous in Russia. Worsening relations and the loosening of domestic violence laws made my situation more precarious. By the end, my then husband was openly saying that he’d probably get acquitted if he stabbed me.
Mine is an unusual cautionary tale, but my time in Russia has also provided me with a lot of general wisdom to draw on.
To sum it up: Americans can and do get targeted in Russia. Usually, it’s random. Always be aware of that possibility when you travel.
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This could be helpful for prospective mil/ civilians in the defense sector as well. Imagine failing the security clearance test because of your drunk ROTC self spilling all the beans.
Thanks for this. Very interesting read!