On the map, Narva is just a city on the eastern border of the EU. On the political radar, however, it is currently attracting attention because of several anonymous Russian-language channels on social networks with the loud name "Narva People's Republic": there, unknown individuals are spreading pro-Russian narratives and calling for the city's separation from Estonia.
The Estonian special services see this as a provocation, but the locals do not seem particularly concerned. What it's like to live in the "most Russian" a city in the EU and NATO?
Where the West and Russia meet
In Narva, everything is as usual: people go about their business, and on the streets - the usual mix of Soviet facades and European signs. And only on the news do you hear something about separatist sentiments. The border here is open, but it can only be crossed on foot and only during the day. Cars and buses do not cross the bridge - at the request of Russia. The official reason - repairs, which will last at least until the end of the year.
This bridge is not just infrastructure, it is a symbol. Once - of friendship, and today - of a new Cold War. It is here that the West and Russia meet - in the literal sense.
All the key topics of European politics - NATO, sanctions, war - in Narva are felt literally at a distance of a few hundred meters. On the other side of the river is Ivangorod, and the differences are visible to the naked eye. The comparison is definitely not in favor of the Russian city: there, unlike Narva, they did not even manage to finish the promenade, although the EU allocated funds to both municipalities under the cross-border cooperation program, and the Russian city even received more than the Estonian one. Today, Narva has a beautiful, modern promenade, while the one in Ivangorod turned out to be nine times shorter, not to mention the quality of the implementation. In 2017, an investigation by the "New York Times" concluded that corruption was most likely the reason for the Russian failure of the project.
"Russian" city in the heart of the European Union
In recent weeks, Narva has been in the spotlight due to the recently growing separatist tendencies. It is the city in the EU with the largest Russian-speaking population. Only about 2% of its residents speak Estonian at home, and a third of the population even holds a Russian passport.
However, Mayor Katri Raik claims that a change has been noticeable recently. "If Estonian used to be almost a secret language, today it is no longer like that. Yes, Narva will not become a city where only Estonian is spoken - it will remain bilingual, and in the future maybe even trilingual", says the mayor.
The fact that Russians make up the absolute majority of the population in Narva has led some people to draw parallels with Donbass, Crimea and Transnistria. Local journalist and anthropologist Roman Vikulov, however, does not share these fears: "There is no doubt that there are no separatist sentiments in Narva. We can even say that there have never been any, perhaps with only one exception - when 35 years ago many dreamed of autonomy, albeit within the framework of the Estonian Republic. Today there is no trace of that," he assures. But there is another feeling - that it was better before and that it will get worse in the future.
Vikulov does not deny that there is disappointment and despair, and the mood is mostly negative. But there is no aggression among the people, he assures. If they are leaving the city, it is not because they want to be part of Russia or separate from Estonia, but because they do not see a future for themselves in their city.
"For a long time they promised us rosier prospects as a border town - a stream of people was expected to spend their money here. But that dream has been shattered," says Vikulov. According to him, however, there is nothing political in these sentiments - they are more of a domestic nature.
"Life is better in Estonia"
"We don't believe that the residents of Narva want to move to Russia. There are no such people among our acquaintances at all", passersby we meet on the street tell us. And they all agree that life is better in Estonia: "You only have to cross to the opposite Russian bank to see for yourself".
The journalist from the Estonian public television in Narva, Sergey Stepanov, also speaks about the same thing. According to him, life is poorer in Russia, Ivangorod is a city in decline, and pensions in the Leningrad region are approximately three times lower than in Estonia. That is why the "Crimean scenario" - i.e. local people supporting secession does not seem realistic. "People do not want to be in Russia", says Stepanov.
The deputy chairwoman of the Narva city council, Yana Kondrashova, is not so categorical: "There will always be someone with radical views. There are some here, too, but I cannot say that this is a mass phenomenon".
But Moscow has not forgotten Narva - no matter that separatist calls seem to have no resonance among the city's residents. In 2022, President Vladimir Putin publicly mentioned Narva, talking about Peter the Great, the Northern War and the "return of lands".
And since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, a grand concert has been organized on the Russian coast every May 9 - with Soviet symbols banned in Estonia, a live broadcast of the parade on Red Square, and guest "stars" of Russian pop singing on a stage set up so that it can be clearly seen from Narva. Thus, the border becomes a huge screen.
Border between two worlds
"Throughout its centuries-old history, Narva has always been a crossroads of different cultures, different authorities and rulers - a place where different political ambitions meet," Maria Smorzhevsky-Smirnova, director of the Narva Museum, located in a 13th-century castle built by the Danes, told DV.
The main tower of the Narva Castle rises directly opposite the Ivangorod fortress, built by order of the Russian Tsar Ivan the Third. The two colossuses seem to compete with each other. "The border, which runs right in the middle of the river, now marks the collision of these two worlds and completely different civilizations, completely different value systems," says Maria Smorzhevsky-Smirnova. On her initiative, a poster with the inscription "Putin - war criminal" was hung on the wall of the castle, for which a Moscow court sentenced her in absentia to ten years in prison, despite the fact that she is an Estonian citizen.
Today, Narva is not a hot spot. But in a sense, it represents a kind of political stress test for the West. A city where Russian is spoken at home, where the border is not just a geographical term, but rather an emotional state, where the future seems uncertain. But Narva is also a place where one of the fundamental postulates of the EU - "unity in diversity" - can be turned into reality.
Author: Denis Kishnevsky