Navalny, 47, the face of Russia’s silenced opposition, died in prison on Friday following years of political persecution at the hands of the state. The EU, which has long saluted Navalny’s unwavering fight for Russian democracy, had previously attempted to exert pressure on the Kremlin for its systemic repression of government critics. EU leaders on Friday pinned blame for Navalny’s death – which has rocked Brussels and EU capitals – on Putin’s Russia. “The EU holds the Russian regime (solely) responsible for this tragic death,” European Council President Charles Michel said on social media pl…