‘Heetler!’ cried Sasha. ‘My mother would like to say thank you to British and American soldiers for help in beating Nazis. She thanks you and your fathers. Her father was killed at Stalingrad, famous battle. She does not like Germans. British and American armies very brave.’

‘I’m glad to hear that,’ I told them. ‘I’ve read in Communist history books that it was the heroic Soviet army who defeated Fascism single-handed.’

‘Kommunizm!’ shouted Sasha derisively. ‘Kommunizm is shit. My mother does not say that, of course, but it is what she believes. Kommunizm all lies and rubbish.’ He turned and in Russian loudly sought confirmation from Lyudmila, who nodded and went, ‘Da, da.’

The next thing we knew, Sasha had brought out a bottle of Georgian brandy and was pouring huge slugs. His mother did not touch the spirit.

The conversation became ever wilder, with stories of army brutality.

‘You know how they treat prisoners in Russian army? This soldier in Murmansk . . .’

‘Murmansk?’ yelled Rick. ‘Where the f—’ He stopped himself just in time and and finished up, ‘Where’s that?’

‘In Russian Arctic. Far north from Moscow. Terrible place. This man is soldier in garrison. Very poor, like I told you – no money. But he is also musician, used to moonlight. He played accordion in restaurant in the evenings to earn roubles. He went maskarad – in disguise – with glasses and some beard. But an officer went to the restaurant and recognised him.

‘So, to punish him, they put him in a cell, with acid on the floor, deeper every day. No shoes. They wanted to leave him for a week, but after three days his hair had gone grey, so they took him out. Such tortures they make in army.’

It was midnight before we reeled out. We tried to say we’d walk or get a taxi, but Sasha wouldn’t hear of it and insisted on driving us back. When we went down in the lift, Lyudmila came with us to give Tigr an extra run, and as we said goodbye she kissed our hands, holding the cat against her. Rick did his best to thank her gracefully, but I felt too choked to say anything except ‘Spasibo! Bolshoi spasibo!’