Of course, one of the interesting facts about the ex-Soviet Union, were the number of closed Cities. These were places where they had secretive installations or 
factories. Due to the Cold War they were strictly off limits for Westerners.
Four of these where I went were Tula, where they manufactured the Kalashnikov rifle. Dnepropetrovsk where they had a factory producing battle tanks.
Donetsk, where they produced nuclear war heads and Nikoliyev, where they built battle ships.
From Tula I loaded full loads of wrapping paper, from a company called Kommunar. I started loading there just after it lost itās Closed status.
At Dnepropetrovsk, I delivered a multi million pound computer system direct to the Tractor factory. However, the massive site had the tractor factory around the perimeter of the site. In the centre of the site was the Tank factory. The computer system was cased in four massive wooden crates. They had to be off loaded through the roof of the trailer by mobile crane. When I entered the factory grounds the security process was much more stringent than at the border. I thought, āThis is a bit over the top for a tractor factory. What are they making the tractors out of ? GOLDā.
The computer cases were going to be delivered to the 2nd floor of a massive building. However, how they were going to do it was swing them in through a window. They had a crew of labourers up on the second floor to catch the cases as they were swung in through the window. Thinking on my feet I suggested that they off loaded the cases from the trailer, signed my C.M.R. and I then drove out of the factory. They then had more room to carry out the swinging. 
They agreed to this and I cleared off.
Some while later I was on my way into the Ukraine with a groupage load. I had 5 deliveries, Kiev, Poltava, Dnepropetrovsk, Jolti Voda and Nikoliyev.
After a 48 hours queue at Kukariki, I then spent 5 days sitting on the border. Dnepropetrovsk was once again a closed city. Jolti Voda was a closed city and so was Nikoliyev. 
After 5 days of communications between Brest and Moscow, it was decided that I would tip at Kiev and Poltava. At Poltava they would also take off the goods for Dneproā and Jodiā. I would then drive to Odessa and get a K.G.B. ā ā ā ā ā ā to Nikoliyev. So I went to Kiev and tipped and then drove to Poltava. At Poltava I was told that I would have to wait for 5 days to unload. That was because the people from Dneproā and Jodiā had to get their act together and come to Poltava and make the customs clearance. These people had the arse thinking that I had refused to go to their towns. They did not realise that it was not my fault. And so thought that they would teach me a lesson. However, I spent the 5 days at the Sovinterā hotel and went to a number of parties, because the hotel was a favourite haunt of students at Poltava University. Many of who were learning English.
When I was finally tipped I drove to Odessa and picked up the K.G.B. ā ā ā ā ā ā . A Major named Igor, who was wearing civvies. We drove to Nikoliyev and I was stopped at the Police post, at the entrance to the city. I was told to turn around and go away. But Igor, who had been in front came back, got out of his car and flashed his warrant card, to the copper. The bloke leaped to attention and by the look on his face, was mentally working out what he wanted to pack into his bag, for the trip to the Siberian Salt Mines.
We drove on into Odessa, to the OKEAN ship factory, where my cargo for them was RACAL safety equipment.
At the factory, not only did all of the English translation team turn out to meet me, but the Head of Police, the head of the local K.G.B and a Russian Navy Admiral turned up. I donāt know why. Perhaps they thought that I couldnāt be trusted.
And the weird thing was that they all lined up, like a football team at the cup final and I was escorted along the line, to shake hands with them all. I was like the dignitary at the cup final. The only thing that spoiled this was that the Boss of the shipyard was at the far end of the line. He was wearing a British Crombie and was exceedingly well and expensively dressed. But he stood there coughing up phlegm and gobbing it onto the pavement.
Having tipped at OKEAN we drove back out of the town. Once again I was pulled up at the police post. This time, they wanted to know what I was doing leaving the city. I said āO.K. no problem. I will turn around and go back into the cityā. They said, āYou canāt do that, you are not allowed in thereā. Imagine how I laughed. Then Igor turned up, flashed his card and two more of Nikoliyevās finest had their lives flash before there eyes.
The final sting in the tale was that I had to phone a wine producer in Moldova once I was back in Odessa, to tell them that I could load from there. When I phoned them they told me that the wine would not be ready for two weeks. Kepstowe then ran me from Odessa to Moscow, to reload.
Oh, and why could I not go to Jolti Voda. It housed 11 womenās prisons. They obviously thought that I might be corrupted 
