A judge in Moscow today denied the Kremlin critic Alexei Navajo's call for release from custody.

Navalny will stay in prison, while criticising the judicial process as “major demonstration violation of the law” and thanking the protesters for their support.

The opposition leader spoke through a video from an empty room with a single chair at his detention centre in Moscow.

Navalny was arrested on January 17th after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was healed of poisoning with nervous agents in August during a trip to Siberia, where he was seriously endangered.

Tens of thousands of Russian protesters in more than 100 cities and demonstrated support for Navajo last Saturday, and more than 3,700 people were reportedly arrested. Meanwhile, more protests have been called to Sunday.

At that, the Kremlin appears ready to give the opposition leader a long prison sentence, despite protests in his favour and a wave of international condemnation against his arrest.