Vladimir Putin’s main political opponent, Alexei Navalny, has escaped jail after a court suspended his five-year sentence for theft.
Navalny will however be prevented from seeking elected office for several years due to the conviction. Promising to appeal, he said:
"It's clear to me that the authorities are trying by all means to hound me out of politics, coming up with restrictions and fabricated cases,"
"One thing is for sure, they will not succeed in pushing me and my allies out of political life,"
See Reuters for full report.