The silent war going on inside a city at Nato’s eastern border – which could be Putin’s next target
Home to one of the few crossing points into Russia, the city of Narva is seen by Estonian border force officials as “the end and the beginning of the free world”.
Located on Nato’s eastern border, the city has become the target of constant hybrid warfare tactics from Russia – with the Kremlin sending in surveillance blimps on an almost weekly basis and removing Estonian border infrastructure in the dead of night.
“Everything that is on the other side of the border, I wouldn’t use free world to describe that”, says Egert Belitsev, director general of the Estonian border force.
But not everyone in Narva sees it like Mr Belitsev does.
Some 96 per cent of the 56,000 people living in Narva speak Russian as their first language, while 34 per cent of the population are Russian citizens.
“They live inside the Russian cultural and propaganda space”, says Dr Maria Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova, director of Narva’s museum.
It’s perhaps unsurprising that in 2022 Putin indicated he had his sights set on Narva, suggesting he would have justification to “take back and secure” the border city.
The Narva Museum – which faces directly out towards Russia – has found itself at the centre of the flaring tensions after conducting a number of anti-Putin stunts and hosting exhibitions which highlight Russian propaganda and war crimes.
For the last two years, the museum has hung a banner which reads, ‘Putin is a war criminal’ on the side of Narva castle facing out towards Ivangorod, Russia’s border town which lies just 101 metres away.
Each year, the banner has been timed to coincide with Russia’s May 9 ‘victory day’ celebrations which take place in Ivangorod. There is a clear sense in Estonia that the celebrations, which are amplified on huge speakers, are not for people living in Russia.
“They do it for the people of Narva”, Mr Belitsev said. “The stage is directed towards Estonia. They use the biggest speakers they have in Russia. It’s not for Ivangorod.”
Russian officials demanded Estonian border representatives take the anti-Putin banner down (they refused), but it wasn’t just on the other side of the Narva Reservoir that the banner sparked outrage.
While the museum received a wave of support from other Estonian cities, Dr Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova said she and her family received death threats, abuse and harassment from some people living in Narva.
Zurab Janes, who works at the museum, said his boss received emails, texts and Facebook posts threatening her.
