On Tuesday, December 30, Russian opposition leader and main Putin critic Alexey Navalny has been been found guilty in a high-profile fraud case. His brother, Oleg Navalny, gets imprisonment.

      Navalny has been given a suspended prison sentence of three-and-a-half years and a fine of 500,000 roubles ($8,816). His brother Oleg has been given a three-and-a-half custodial sentence in the same trial. He also must pay a fine of 500,000 roubles.

      Previously prosecutors demanded 10 years in jail for Navalny and eight years for his brother.

      Navalny, who accuses the government of President  Putin of widespread corruption, has said the charges are politically motivated. He has been one of  Putin's fiercest critics for several years. He successfully led mass protests against the president in 2011.

      The brothers have been convicted of stealing 30m roubles ($518,100) from the firms, one of which is an affiliate of French cosmetics giant Yves Rocher.

      The verdict was to have been announced next month, but the court session was abruptly moved forward to Tuesday after his supporters announced plans for a big protest rally on 15 January.

      The new protest rally against the verdict is now being hastily organized by Navalny's supporters. They plan to hold the meeting at 19:00 (16:00 GMT) on Tuesday, December 30, in Moscow's Manezh Square, near the Kremlin. The Facebook group for the event is here.