A Russian court has given Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny a suspended sentence of three and a half years and jailed his brother.

The Navalny brothers were accused of stealing 30 million rubles from two firms, including an affiliate of the French cosmetics company Yves Rocher, between 2008 and 2012.

President Vladimir Putin's biggest critic Alexei Navalny led mass protests against Putin three years ago.

The Kremlin denies allegations that it uses the courts to persecute opponents.