Lawyers for Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said on Tuesday they would appeal against the ruling of a Russian court which jailed him for 3.5 years.

Navalny's lawyer said the anti-corruption blogger would serve only two years and eight months in jail because of time he has already spent under house arrest.

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The court's decision to turn a 2014 suspended sentence into real jail time will see&nbsp;Navalny, a 44-year-old anti-corruption campaigner who accuses the Kremlin of poisoning him last year, serve a lengthy prison term for the first time.

He was accused of violating parole conditions by refusing to check in with prison officials and was arrested when he flew back to Moscow on January 17 from Germany, where he spent months recovering from the poisoning.

Navalny&nbsp;said it was impossible to make the appointments while abroad, but the judge said he had skipped meetings prior to the poisoning.

The widely anticipated ruling, which followed nationwide protests calling for Navalny's release, is likely to further strain relations with the West, which is likely to consider imposing sanctions on Russia over its handling of the case.

Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin's most prominent critics, was arrested last month after returning from Germany where he had been recovering from being poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent.

Tuesday's hearing focused on alleged parole violations over a suspended sentence in a 2014 embezzlement case Navalny says was fabricated.

Navalny, in a fiery speech to the court, alleged he was jailed because of Putin's concerns about him as a political rival, a suggestion the Kremlin has laughed off, referring to Navalny as a troublesome blogger without wide popular support.

'Pure cowardice'

After the ruling, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for&nbsp;Navalny's release, warning Washington and its allies would "hold Russia accountable for failing to uphold the rights of its citizens."

French President Emmanuel Macron called for his release, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel labelling the decision "far removed from any rule of law", while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it "pure cowardice".&nbsp;

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, due to visit Moscow later this week, said it "runs counter to Russia's international commitments on rule of law and fundamental freedoms".

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the Western reaction as "disconnected from reality", adding: "There is no need to interfere in the internal affairs of a sovereign state."

Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in Moscow and other Russian cities over the last two weekends to call for&nbsp;Navalny's release, prompting a massive police clampdown that saw several thousand people arrested.

Police detained more than 1,050 protests on Tuesday alone, mostly in Moscow, according to monitoring group OVD-Info.

Lawyers for Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said on Tuesday they would appeal against the ruling of a Russian court which jailed him for 3.5 years. Navalny's lawyer said the anti-corruption blogger would serve only two years and eight months in jail because of time he has already spent under house arrest.

Lawyers for Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said on Tuesday they would appeal against the ruling of a Russian court which jailed him for 3.5 years. Navalny's lawyer said the anti-corruption blogger would serve only two years and eight months in jail because of time he has already spent under house arrest. The court's decision to turn a 2014 suspended sentence into real jail time will see Navalny, a 44-year-old anti-corruption campaigner who accuses the Kremlin of poisoning him last year, serve a lengthy prison term for the first time. He was accused of violating parole conditions by refusing to check in with prison officials and was arrested when he flew back to Moscow on January 17 from Germany, where he spent months recovering from the poisoning. Navalny said it was impossible to make the appointments while abroad, but the judge said he had skipped meetings prior to the poisoning. The widely anticipated ruling, which followed nationwide protests calling for Navalny's release, is likely to further strain relations with the West, which is likely to consider imposing sanctions on Russia over its handling of the case. Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin's most prominent critics, was arrested last month after returning from Germany where he had been recovering from being poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent. Tuesday's hearing focused on alleged parole violations over a suspended sentence in a 2014 embezzlement case Navalny says was fabricated. Navalny, in a fiery speech to the court, alleged he was jailed because of Putin's concerns about him as a political rival, a suggestion the Kremlin has laughed off, referring to Navalny as a troublesome blogger without wide popular support. 'Pure cowardice' After the ruling, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for Navalny's release, warning Washington and its allies would "hold Russia accountable for failing to uphold the rights of its citizens." French President Emmanuel Macron called for his release, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel labelling the decision "far removed from any rule of law", while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it "pure cowardice". European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, due to visit Moscow later this week, said it "runs counter to Russia's international commitments on rule of law and fundamental freedoms". Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the Western reaction as "disconnected from reality", adding: "There is no need to interfere in the internal affairs of a sovereign state." Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in Moscow and other Russian cities over the last two weekends to call for Navalny's release, prompting a massive police clampdown that saw several thousand people arrested. Police detained more than 1,050 protests on Tuesday alone, mostly in Moscow, according to monitoring group OVD-Info.

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's lawyer says will appeal against jail sentence

A Russian court convened on Tuesday to consider jailing Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny for up to three and a half years in a case that has sparked nationwide protests and talk of new Western sanctions.

Moscow court to begin hearing on Alexei Navalny's case

Russian police detain people near court as it considers jailing Navalny

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said on social media on Sunday he had been released from detention after spending around three weeks in jail.

Navalny was detained by police in late September and sentenced to 20 days in jail on charges of repeatedly violating laws by organising public meeting and rallies.

After release, Navalny also said on social media he planned to speak at a political meeting in the provincial town of Astrakhan in southern Russia later on Sunday.

In Moscow, a banner hung on a bridge near the Kremlin on Sunday, calling for people to vote for Navalny and get rid of President Vladimir Putin.

Navalny hopes to run for president in 2018 even though Russia&#39;s central election commission declared him ineligible because of a suspended prison sentence, which he says was politically motivated.

Earlier this month Europe&#39;s top human rights court ruled Navalny&#39;s conviction for fraud in 2014 had been &quot;arbitrary and manifestly unreasonable&quot; and ordered Russia to pay him compensation.

A suspended jail sentence in a separate case -- which Navalny says was politically motivated -- may still bar him from running for president.

Putin has for months declined to say whether he would run for what would be his fourth stint in the Kremlin. If he runs, he is widely expected to win the election.

Another candidate is Russian TV personality Ksenia Sobchak who said earlier this week said she planned to run in the election due in March, 2018, offering liberal voters unhappy with Putin&#39;s rule someone to back, though she has little prospect of winning. 
&nbsp;

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said on social media on Sunday he had been released from detention after spending around three weeks in jail

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said on social media on Sunday he had been released from detention after spending around three weeks in jail. Navalny was detained by police in late September and sentenced to 20 days in jail on charges of repeatedly violating laws by organising public meeting and rallies. After release, Navalny also said on social media he planned to speak at a political meeting in the provincial town of Astrakhan in southern Russia later on Sunday. In Moscow, a banner hung on a bridge near the Kremlin on Sunday, calling for people to vote for Navalny and get rid of President Vladimir Putin. Navalny hopes to run for president in 2018 even though Russia's central election commission declared him ineligible because of a suspended prison sentence, which he says was politically motivated. Earlier this month Europe's top human rights court ruled Navalny's conviction for fraud in 2014 had been "arbitrary and manifestly unreasonable" and ordered Russia to pay him compensation. A suspended jail sentence in a separate case -- which Navalny says was politically motivated -- may still bar him from running for president. Putin has for months declined to say whether he would run for what would be his fourth stint in the Kremlin. If he runs, he is widely expected to win the election. Another candidate is Russian TV personality Ksenia Sobchak who said earlier this week said she planned to run in the election due in March, 2018, offering liberal voters unhappy with Putin's rule someone to back, though she has little prospect of winning.

Putin critic Navalny released after 20-day detention

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Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's lawyer says will appeal against jail sentence

Moscow court to begin hearing on Alexei Navalny's case

Russian police detain people near court as it considers jailing Navalny

Putin critic Navalny released after 20-day detention