Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny has been transferred from a Moscow detention centre to a penal colony, according to state media.

Axar.az reports citing foreign media that Navalny remains behind bars after a Russian court partially rejected his appeal over a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence handed down earlier this month.

A Moscow court had sent Russian President Vladimir Putin's biggest critic to prison for more than two-and-a-half years. According to CNN, the exact location and name of the penal colony were not revealed but Alexander Kalashnikov of Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) told reporters: "According to the court's decision, he left to where he currently should be. Everything is done within the framework of the law and the current legislation." Kalashnikov added Navalny will be kept in "absolutely normal conditions."