Mogul's arrest could herald 'return to Soviet repression'

The jailing of Russia’s richest man in what is widely seen as a politically-driven attack on his oil empire could herald a return to Soviet-style repression that is bound to trigger capital flight, media and politicians warned today.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the billionaire head of the nation’s largest oil company, Yukos, was arrested on Saturday by special forces at a Siberian airport.