Pepsi was first introduced to the Russian people in the
late 1950s.
In 1972, the Soviet Union wanted to strike a deal that
would bring Pepsi products to their country permanently. However, there was an
issue of how they would pay for it, as their currency was not accepted
throughout the world. A solution was eventually reached when vodka* was used as
the medium of exchange.
In the late 1980s, Russia’s initial agreement to import
Pepsi into the country was set to expire, and vodka wasn’t going to cover the
cost of renewing the agreement.
This time the Russians offered to trade Pepsi a fleet of
subs and boats in exchange for Pepsi products. The new agreement included; 17
submarines, a cruiser, a frigate and a destroyer. The combined fleet was traded
for $3 billion worth of Pepsi products.
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The historical exchange
caused Pepsi to become the 6th most powerful military in the
world.
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Shortly after taking ownership of the naval vessels,
Pepsi sold the fleet to a Swedish company for scrap recycling.
*Bonus Fact: As a result of the 1922 trade deal, Pepsi became
the sole distributor of Stolichnaya Vodka in the U.S. until 1989.
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