The Russian-speaking population of Turkmenistan is reported to be in a panic over President Saparmurat Niyazov\'s 22 April decree that revokes dual Turkmen-Russian citizenship and also revokes the right of individuals with dual citizenship to travel to Russia without visas. An NGO activist from Ashgabat who managed to get to Moscow told Memorial that housing prices dropped dramatically in the Turkmen capital after the announcement of the 10 April agreement between Niyazov and Russian President Putin on revoking the dual citizenship agreement. An apartment costing $9,000 in March could be bought for only $3,000 in April. According to Memorial, as of 23 April airline offices refused to sell tickets to people with dual citizenship who intended to leave the country using their Russian passports, telling them that after 25 April they would have to have exit visas. Reportedly hundreds of people are besieging the Russian Embassy in Ashgabat, where the staff is refusing to accept any more applications for Russian citizenship, saying they are waiting for instructions from Moscow. Some political observers in Moscow have criticized the Russian government and the Russian media for ignoring the situation in Turkmenistan. (RFE/RL)