barriers. Maybe the Central Election Commission would find a problem with the signatures that the candidate collected in order to register, or maybe the candidate would be charged with a crime based on questionable evidence, but something would always happen ... The arrest of prominent oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky on charges of fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion was met with domestic and Western criticism that the arrest was political and that his trial was highly flawed. However, the move was met positively by the Russian public and has largely undeterred investment from the country, which continued to grow at double digit rates. In 2005, Russia started steadily increasing the price it sold heavily subsidized gas to ex-Soviet republics. Russia has recently been accused of using its natural resources as a political weapon. Russia, in turn, accuses the West of applying double standards relating to market principles, pointing out that Russia has been supplying gas to the states in question at prices that were significantly below world market levels, and in most cases remain so even after the increases. Politicians in Russia argued that it is not obligated to effectively subsidize the economies of post-Soviet states by offering them resources at below-market prices. Regardless of alleged political motivation, observers have noted that charging market prices is Russia's legitimate right, and point out that Russia has raised the price even for its close ally, Belarus. Other issues The constitution guarantees citizens the right to choose their place of residence and to travel abroad. Some big-city governments, however, have restricted this right through residential registration rules that closely resemble the Soviet-era "propiska" regulations. Although the rules were touted as a notification device rather than a control system, their implementation has produced many of the same results as the propiska system. The freedom to travel abroad and emigrate is respected although restrictions may apply to those who have had access to state secrets. See also Law of the Russian Federation Federation Council of Russia Foreign relations of Russia Human rights in Russia Corruption in Russia History of post-Soviet Russia Economy of Russia Public Chamber of Russia Project Russia Russian presidential administration Sergei Kiriyenko's Cabinet (1998) Yevgeny Primakov's Cabinet (1998–1999) Mikhail Fradkov's Second Cabinet (2004–2007) Electoral geography of Russia Tsarist autocracy Notes Further reading David Szakonyi. 2020. Politics for Profit: Business, Elections, and Policymaking in Russia. Cambridge University Press. References External links Roderic Lyne, Strobe Talbott,