The 101st kilometre became a colloquial phrase for limits on
freedom of movement under
propiska, the Soviet system of controlling
internal migration. During most of the Soviet era, criminals and other "undesirables" including the ones released from the
Gulags were often restricted from settling in larger
urban centers such as
Moscow. The
propiska laws were intended in part to keep undesirable elements away from foreigners, who were usually restricted to areas within of city centers, in a similar fashion to the
1980 Summer Olympics. The rights of an ex-inmate to move freely about the country after release from a prison would be restricted for a long period of time. Instead of regular documents, former inmates would receive a temporary substitute, a "
wolf's ticket" (), confining them to
exile without the right to settle closer than to large urban centres where they would be refused the
residency permit under the
propiska system. In post-Stalin Soviet Union a notable purge of undesirables beyond the 101st km was in preparations to the 1980 Summer Olympics as an effort of the authorities to improve the image of Moscow in the eyes of foreigners. In modern
Russia, this 100 km restriction has been abolished — although
a residential registration is required. == See also ==