Last week, I was struck by the enormous number of old Ladas — or Zhigulis, as they were known in Soviet times — on the roads in Azerbaijan. What is particularly remarkable is the condition of many of them. Some look as though they are almost new, despite the fact that they must be 40 or even 50 years old. There seem to be many thousands of them everywhere. It made me wonder why so many have survived in Azerbaijan when, in Russia today, it is becoming increasingly difficult to