The sentence will be carried out at a restrictive "special regime" prison, the report indicates, following the closed-door trial conducted in a prison colony east of Moscow, where Navalny is currently confined.

The 47-year old political oppositionist stated Thursday in a social media post that he expected a "Stalinist" sentence that would be long, and urged Russians to fight against "the corruption of Putin and his officials."

He addressed the broader Russian public in the post, writing the day prior that "When the figure is announced, please show solidarity with me and other political prisoners by thinking for a minute why such an exemplary huge term is necessary. Its main purpose is to intimidate. You, not me."

Navalny's legal team has complained he's been kept in solitary confinement, in a small cell for up to 200 days. Last year and in the past months he's claimed that his prison conditions have left him sick and with ailments.