In western Russia, most imports were from Germany, while to the east of the Ural mountains where the cost of delivery made both the German imports and domestic productions particularly unattractive, a thriving industry of importing used vehicles from Japan developed. Even though Russia is a left hand drive country, RHD vehicles are nevertheless legal there, provided that some adjustments (e.g. retuning the headlights) are made, but these are cheap and easily done, thus making the cheap and well-built Japanese cars, trucks and tractors (which proved sturdy enough to withstand severe Russian climate, bad roads, often inadequate servicing and questionable quality of fuel/oil) particularly attractive to the customer. In main import centers such as Vladivostok and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk a large-scale service and aftermarket industry developed, including parts depots, auction houses, and logistic centers, all geared for servicing and supporting this relentless import drive. The authorities tried to fight this phenomenon to protect the domestic industry, but the effects have so far been mixed. While increasingly stringent technical requirements and stiffer import tariffs had some effect, they only managed to force the locals to import newer and more expensive vehicles, and to invent various quasi-legal ways to circumvent these regulations. Japanese manufacturers themselves have also stepped in, creating local assembly plants that produce new, left hand drive models to try to compete with the grey imports.