I will run against Putin in 2018 - Navalny

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny told the BBC in January he was set on standing against Vladimir Putin for president of Russia next year.

He told BBC Hardtalk's Stephen Sackur: "I’m not a naive person, I understand that the Kremlin is very unhappy with me running and I understand that they will do everything to prevent me from running."

Mr Navalny has since been formally barred from standing for election on the grounds that he has a conviction for embezzlement - a case he says was politically motivated.