Vladimir Putin is not scared of Alexei Navalny, says Kremlin

Moscow authorities likely to block protests planned for Saturday in support of jailed opposition leader

Vladimir Putin is not scared of Alexei Navalny, a Kremlin spokesman has said, but Moscow authorities still appear likely to block Saturday's planned protests in support of the jailed opposition leader.

Navalny has no relation to the Russian president and can in no way be associated with the president", said Dmitri Peskov, when asked whether Putin viewed Navalny as a rival.