Russia lifts house arrest of Mau, but orders him not to travel

(Reuters) - Russia has lifted the house arrest of leading economist Vladimir Mau but demanded he give an assurance that he will not leave the country, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday citing sources.

Mau, an economic liberal and rector at a top school for civil servants in Moscow, was charged with fraud and put under house arrest in June.

"The preventive measure of house arrest was cancelled by the investigator and a more lenient one was chosen - a pledge not to travel and to behave properly," a source told Interfax news agency.

The case shocked Russia's academic and economic elite, as Mau has close links to top policymakers and signed an open letter in support of Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Opposition figures criticised the case as an attempt by the Kremlin to exert control over Russia's education sphere and quash academic freedoms.

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)