He campaigned for greater recognition of the Beatles and rock musicians in Russia, proposing the renaming of Leningrad as "Lennongrad", public holidays and the construction of a 210-foot (64 m) tall "John Lennon Temple of Peace and Love".

[3] The Soviet authorities regarded rock music as subversive and there was no way of purchasing legitimate copies – Vasin obtained the tracks, which had been inscribed onto old X-ray slides, through the black market.

[6] Vasin was a self-described "Beatles-ologist" and curated an exhibit for Saint Petersburg's Museum of Non-Conformist Art as well as writing many journal articles on the subject.

In one of his first trips he met Allan Williams, the first manager of the band, who then began to come to Russia to join Vasin in celebrating the birthdays of Beatles members.

[10] Being one of the largest popularisers of The Beatles in the USSR, Vasin made a significant contribution to the fall of communism in different countries through rock music.

In 2007 he published a book entitled "Рок на русских костях" ("Rock on Russian Bones"), in a reference to the X-ray slides that were used for his bootleg records in Soviet times.

This 210-foot (64 m) tall structure would stand on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and include two large spheres – one in yellow inscribed with "all you need is love" and one in blue with "give peace a chance".

He also established a foundation, "Свободная культура" (Free Culture), to raise funds by petitioning rock stars and fan clubs across the world and selling merchandise.