MOSCOW (AFP) - The conviction of Russian protest leader Alexei Navalny, his jailing and surprise release pending appeal were legal court decisions that should be respected, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said on Friday.

"Both things were done in accordance with the law," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in the first Kremlin comment on the high-profile verdict, quoted by Russian news agencies.

"Court decisions must be respected, they are law," he said after thousands took to the streets of Moscow in protest at the verdict.