Vladivostok, Russia to Chernovtsy, Ukraine

[Daaayo]

I could really use some direction from you experienced LD riders.
My last “adventure ride” started the day I graduated Monterey High School in 1973. I had a ’70 Triumph Trophy 500. So I tied a backpack and Army surplus mummy bag on it, stuffed $100 in my pocket, strapped on my Bell Star helmet and rode around Canada for 3 months… 35 years later… June ’08 my ’07 BMW GS Adventure and I will arrive in Vladivostok, Russia and I will be riding across Russia and Ukraine for 3 months stopping at every orphanage I can find to try and encourage the children to do something with their lives and not become a statistic. Within 2 years of “graduating” the orphanages 90% of the children are either in prison, strung out on drugs living on the streets or have committed suicide. Over ½ of the girls are forced into prostitution. I would like to film a documentary on their lives and living conditions and then find churches and service clubs to “adopt” an orphanage and the children in it.
I have been to Russia 19 times over the past 5½ years (never on a bike, yet) working with children in orphanages. I am fluent in speaking Russian but can’t read or write very well.
I would really appreciate any help you guys can provide with the following:
1) What is currently the best source for route planning? I have bought maps of Russia but the road details are very poor. I have been checking out Wanderlust GPS World Map and wonder whatcha all think of it and if it would work well in Russia.
2) It would be ideal to ride the entire distance without having to put the bike on the train through the swampy area. Is June/July an ok time to ride through that area?
3) I have the shipping to Russia taken care of and wanted to ship the bike home from Odessa but have heard that that is not a good port to ship back to the states from. Where would be the next closest port to Odessa that would be a good one to ship home from?
4) I will be camping when need be but prefer to stay in hotels along the way. Any “gotta” stay at and “no way” places along the route?
Thank you in advance for any words or wisdom, comments or suggestions anyone could share.