Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny jailed after protest

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to 15 days behind bars and fined on Monday after staging the biggest anti-corruption protests in years, an act branded a "provocation" by the Kremlin.

Navalny was jailed and given a 20,000-rouble (€324) fine by a Moscow court for disobeying police orders and organising the protests, which led to more than 1,000 people being detained.

The opposition leader has declared his intention to run for president next year, an election in which the president, Vladimir Putin, is expected to stand for.

The lawyer turned activist, 40, called Sunday's protests after publishing a report accusing Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of controlling a property empire through a shadowy network of non-profit organisations.

"The authorities are being accused of multi-million theft, but they remain silent," Navalny said in court, insisting the protests were legal.

"More than 1,000 people were arrested yesterday but it is impossible to arrest millions," he said.

Navalny's lawyer Olga Mikhailova told reporters that his defence team would appeal the rulings.

About 7,000 to 8,000 people demonstrated in Moscow on Sunday, according to police figures, making it one of the biggest unauthorised rallies in Vladimir Putin's 17 years in power as president or prime minister, after authorities in most cities denied permission for the rallies.

The Kremlin called the protest "a provocation and a lie", and claimed that minors had been promised "financial rewards" to participate.

Authorities have struggled to deal with the political threat posed by Navalny. In recent years, he has been put on several trials, widely believed to be politicised, and his brother has been jailed. At times, authorities have experimented with allowing him to take part in politics, and he stood for mayor of Moscow in 2013, winning 27% of votes.