Navalny urges Russians to free country from ‘bunch of thieves’

Police have cracked down on protests (Pavel Golovkin/AP)

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny has urged Russians to overcome their fear and “free” the country from a “bunch of thieves” in a message from his prison cell.

Mr Navalny, who was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison earlier this week, said in a statement posted on his Instagram account that “iron doors slammed behind my back with a deafening sound, but I feel like a free man because I feel confident I’m right and thanks to support from you and my family”.