Russian police briefly detained opposition leader Alexei Navalny and arrested dozens of his supporters on Tuesday in a crackdown that highlights jitters in the Kremlin that the slumping economy could undermine the rule of President Vladimir Putin.
The arrests came hours after a Moscow court gave Mr Navalny a suspended prison sentence of three years and six months but sentenced his brother Oleg to the same time in prison. The brothers were found guilty of defrauding Yves Rocher, the French cosmetics firm, charges which their supporters and civil rights activists say are politically motivated.
The brothers’ lawyers said they would appeal against the verdict.