"The truth is with us and we will win," he wrote, adding that he wants to "defend the country from the thieves and villains who seized power in Russia".

The activist was convicted for embezzling some 400,000 euros during a 2009 timber business deal for which he was acting as a consultant for the Kirovles corporation.

At the time of the deal Ofitserov was head of the trading company that allegedly sold the timber at below-market rates.

Investigators initially said that there was no case to be made against the applicants.

But several months later another investigation was opened into Navalny and Ofitserov's roles, with the courts convicting them one day after Navalny registered as a candidate for the Moscow mayoral elections.

An appeals court eventually granted the two men suspended prison terms.

Navalny began crusading against corruption in 2007. His Internet-driven projects -- Rospil.info and later the Anti-corruption Foundation (FBK) -- have exposed suspicious state contracts and the luxurious mansions of public officials both in Russia and abroad.

Source: AFP