Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Alexei Navalny told the BBC's Hardtalk programme in January that he would fight on

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been formally barred from standing in next year's presidential election. In a statement released on Friday, the Central Electoral Commission said Navalny is "not eligible to stand for office" because he is currently serving a five-year suspended sentence for embezzlement. In 2013, Navalny was given a five-year suspended sentence on a large-scale embezzlement charge in a case he says was engineered by the Kremlin to prevent him from challenging Russian President Vladimir Putin for the presidency.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is formally barred by the Central Election Commission from his running in next year's presidential election.