During the banking crisis, when Hellevig had to consider a new direction for his career, he travelled with his wife to the Soviet Union to visit her relatives. Soon after his return, the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt took place. After seeing on television Yeltsin giving his famous speech from atop a tank, Hellevig went to a book store and bought a Russian language book for beginners. Hellevig started to study the language and was posted to Moscow by Finnish construction company Haka for consulting in its partly owned joint venture Sofinamtrans. Hellevig was the only foreigner in the organisation and got a thorough introduction to Soviet-style bureaucracy. The assignment included negotiations with EBRD and it eventually took five years.