{"id":1871400,"date":"2026-04-05T05:14:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T02:14:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1871400"},"modified":"2026-04-05T05:14:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T02:14:30","slug":"estonian-city-faces-russian-language-separatist-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1871400","title":{"rendered":"Estonian city faces Russian-language separatist campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76674403_6.jpg”]<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5BfjS<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n
Estonian intelligence services have described rumors of Narva’s secession as provocative, and many locals dismiss them as nonsenseImage: Jaap Arriens\/NurPhoto\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

Looking at an ordinary map of Estonia, Narva is simply another city on the eastern borders of the European Union. But the city of around 52,000 is more significant than that. Narva, in\u00a0Estonia’s\u00a0Russian-speaking east, is becoming a flash point<\/a> for debates about European security, identity and the future of the bloc.<\/p>\n

Part of the reason for this are calls for the city’s secession from Estonia, a member of the EU, on social media and platforms like Telegram<\/a>. These calls advocate for a so-called “People’s Republic of Narva” and even include a flag and a coat of arms, ideas that remind observers of pro-Russian propaganda about Crimea in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Estonian intelligence services have described the rumors as provocative, and many locals dismiss them as nonsense.<\/p>\n

\"The
The closing of the Bridge of Friendship over the Narva River to vehicles and freight, leaving only pedestrian access, has been an economic blowImage: Denis Kischinewsky\/DW<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Are there secessionists in Narva?<\/h2>\n

In Narva itself, life goes on as usual. The shop facades are an interesting mix of Soviet-era styles and contemporary European logos but the streets are not crowded today. A cold wind from Finland<\/a> blows across the Narva River. On the other side of the waterway is the Russian city of\u00a0Ivangorod.<\/p>\n

Narva still has distinct ties to Russia<\/a>. Only about 2% of its residents speak Estonian at home. Most speak Russian, and a\u00a0third of the population holds a Russian passport.<\/p>\n

The Russian border is open but can only be crossed during the day, on foot. Cars and buses cannot currently cross the bridge, which is undergoing maintenance until the end of the year. This decision to ban vehicles was made by Russian authorities.<\/p>\n

For many of Narva’s inhabitants, crossing the bridge, and the border, is a regular part of daily life. Some go shopping, others visit relatives. The fact that ethnic Russians make up the majority in a city bordering Russia<\/a> has led observers to draw parallels to Donbas<\/a> and Crimea<\/a> in Ukraine, and Transnistria<\/a>, which is near Ukraine and Moldova<\/a>. Each of those places are home to locals who do want to join up with Russia.<\/p>\n

Important EU connections<\/h2>\n

But Narva also has strong ties to Europe. It’s often described as the city where Europe begins, and many locals are proud of this label.<\/p>\n

In September, Europe’s largest rare-earth magnet factory opened in Narva. It was funded by the EU and will produce magnets for electric vehicles, wind turbines and microelectronics. Up until now, most of these magnets have been imported from China so the Narva factory is an important step toward\u00a0strategic autonomy for the EU.<\/p>\n

For all these sorts of reasons, Narva\u00a0Mayor\u00a0Katri Raik isn’t too worried about any alleged separatist tendencies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“The people of Narva are worried about their city’s image,” she said. “Such reports give us negative publicity and nobody wants that. Our people love their city and simply don’t have time to invent these kinds of stories.”<\/p>\n

\"Narva
Narva Mayor Katri Raik sees no cause for concernImage: Denis Kischinewsky\/DW<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the streets, it’s hard to find anybody who wants to talk politics. “I’m not interested in any of that,” an elderly passerby told\u00a0DW. “I’ve lived in Narva a long time and the city is what it is. It is always going to be my city.”<\/p>\n

If you ask locals about the idea of a “People’s Republic of Narva,” most will either say it’s fake or a joke.<\/p>\n

“Complete nonsense,” one local said. “Unimaginable.”<\/p>\n

“I don’t think the residents of Narva would want to be part of Russia. I don’t know anyone who would,” said another.<\/p>\n

‘Frustration and insecurity about Narva’s future’<\/h2>\n

Local journalist Roman Vikulov can’t imagine there’s much support for secession from Estonia. “There are no separatists in Narva,” he said.<\/p>\n

Vikulov conceded\u00a0that there may well be people in Narva who don’t see many prospects for themselves in Estonia<\/a>. “There’s a lot of disappointment and deep depression,” he explained. “The mood is bad all over. But it’s not aggressive.”<\/p>\n

People move out of the city because they simply can’t see a future for themselves here, he argued, not because they want to join Russia<\/a> or leave Estonia.<\/p>\n

They leave due to “frustration and insecurity about Narva’s future,” he added. “And this is directly related to the situation our eastern neighbor [Russia] is in. For a long time, we had good prospects as a border city. We expected streams of people who would spend their money here. But that bubble has long since burst.”<\/p>\n

\"Journalist
Journalist Roman Vikulov said it’s the economy that is making Narva locals leave the city, not Russian propagandaImage: Denis Kischinewsky\/DW<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Almost everyone you speak to says life in Estonia is much better than in Russia<\/a>. Those short trips across the border make that clear.<\/p>\n

One of the examples locals point to is the construction of a promenade alongside both sides of the river, something the EU actually contributed funding toward\u00a0as part of a program to promote tourism and good relations between Ivangorod and Narva.<\/p>\n

On the Estonian side, there is now a pleasant walkway along the riverbank. The walkway on the Russian side is significantly shorter and the quality of the construction markedly worse, the city’s residents point out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That is despite the fact that the Russians got more money \u2014 $1.2 million (\u20ac1.04 million) \u2014 for the construction project than the Estonians did: $830,000 (\u20ac720,000). A 2017 report by The New York Times<\/em> concluded that corruption was to blame for the failings of the Russian promenade.<\/p>\n

These are the sorts of comparisons that you can easily make on a weekly basis, said another Narva journalist, Sergei Stepanov. Ivangorod is more depressed, people are poorer and\u00a0pensions in the Russian region of Leningrad are around three times less than those in Estonia.<\/p>\n

That’s\u00a0why Stepanov can’t imagine many locals would support breaking away from Estonia the way that Russian-speaking locals did elsewhere. “People just don’t want to go to Russia,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"Narva
Narva city council member Jana Kondrashova believes some locals may have more extremist ideas, but says they’re in the minorityImage: Denis Kischinewsky\/DW<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jana Kondrashova, the city council’s deputy chairperson, sees it a little differently.<\/p>\n

“There are always going to be people who have a more radical worldview,” she admitted. “Of course, we have people like that too but it’s not a widespread phenomenon.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

What does Russia think about Narva?\u00a0<\/h2>\n

None of that means that Russian imperialists and nationalists have forgotten about Narva.<\/p>\n

In 2022, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned Narva as one of the Russian territories Peter the Great of Russia “reclaimed” in a 1704 battle. The statement caused protests in Estonia at the time.<\/p>\n

Additionally, ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine<\/a>, the Russians have held an annual festival on May 9, the occasion of the Russian celebrations<\/a> commemorating the end of World War II, on their side of the Narva River.<\/p>\n

It features Soviet symbols that have been banned in Estonia, Russian pop stars and a live broadcast of the parades on Red Square in Moscow. The stage and screen in Ivangorod is always positioned on the riverbank so it’s clearly visible to people in Narva.<\/p>\n

This story was originally written in Russian.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Estonian city faces Russian-language separatist campaign<\/h2>\n

\n

Looking at an ordinary map of Estonia, Narva is simply another city on the eastern borders of the European Union. But the city of around 52,000 is more significant than that. Narva, in\u00a0Estonia’s\u00a0Russian-speaking east, is becoming a flash point<\/a> for debates about European security, identity and the future of the bloc.<\/p>\n

Part of the reason for this are calls for the city’s secession from Estonia, a member of the EU, on social media and platforms like Telegram<\/a>. These calls advocate for a so-called “People’s Republic of Narva” and even include a flag and a coat of arms, ideas that remind observers of pro-Russian propaganda about Crimea in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Estonian intelligence services have described the rumors as provocative, and many locals dismiss them as nonsense.<\/p>\n

\"The
The closing of the Bridge of Friendship over the Narva River to vehicles and freight, leaving only pedestrian access, has been an economic blowImage: Denis Kischinewsky\/DW<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Are there secessionists in Narva?<\/h2>\n

In Narva itself, life goes on as usual. The shop facades are an interesting mix of Soviet-era styles and contemporary European logos but the streets are not crowded today. A cold wind from Finland<\/a> blows across the Narva River. On the other side of the waterway is the Russian city of\u00a0Ivangorod.<\/p>\n

Narva still has distinct ties to Russia<\/a>. Only about 2% of its residents speak Estonian at home. Most speak Russian, and a\u00a0third of the population holds a Russian passport.<\/p>\n

The Russian border is open but can only be crossed during the day, on foot. Cars and buses cannot currently cross the bridge, which is undergoing maintenance until the end of the year. This decision to ban vehicles was made by Russian authorities.<\/p>\n

For many of Narva’s inhabitants, crossing the bridge, and the border, is a regular part of daily life. Some go shopping, others visit relatives. The fact that ethnic Russians make up the majority in a city bordering Russia<\/a> has led observers to draw parallels to Donbas<\/a> and Crimea<\/a> in Ukraine, and Transnistria<\/a>, which is near Ukraine and Moldova<\/a>. Each of those places are home to locals who do want to join up with Russia.<\/p>\n

Important EU connections<\/h2>\n

But Narva also has strong ties to Europe. It’s often described as the city where Europe begins, and many locals are proud of this label.<\/p>\n

In September, Europe’s largest rare-earth magnet factory opened in Narva. It was funded by the EU and will produce magnets for electric vehicles, wind turbines and microelectronics. Up until now, most of these magnets have been imported from China so the Narva factory is an important step toward\u00a0strategic autonomy for the EU.<\/p>\n

For all these sorts of reasons, Narva\u00a0Mayor\u00a0Katri Raik isn’t too worried about any alleged separatist tendencies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“The people of Narva are worried about their city’s image,” she said. “Such reports give us negative publicity and nobody wants that. Our people love their city and simply don’t have time to invent these kinds of stories.”<\/p>\n

\"Narva
Narva Mayor Katri Raik sees no cause for concernImage: Denis Kischinewsky\/DW<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the streets, it’s hard to find anybody who wants to talk politics. “I’m not interested in any of that,” an elderly passerby told\u00a0DW. “I’ve lived in Narva a long time and the city is what it is. It is always going to be my city.”<\/p>\n

If you ask locals about the idea of a “People’s Republic of Narva,” most will either say it’s fake or a joke.<\/p>\n

“Complete nonsense,” one local said. “Unimaginable.”<\/p>\n

“I don’t think the residents of Narva would want to be part of Russia. I don’t know anyone who would,” said another.<\/p>\n

‘Frustration and insecurity about Narva’s future’<\/h2>\n

Local journalist Roman Vikulov can’t imagine there’s much support for secession from Estonia. “There are no separatists in Narva,” he said.<\/p>\n

Vikulov conceded\u00a0that there may well be people in Narva who don’t see many prospects for themselves in Estonia<\/a>. “There’s a lot of disappointment and deep depression,” he explained. “The mood is bad all over. But it’s not aggressive.”<\/p>\n

People move out of the city because they simply can’t see a future for themselves here, he argued, not because they want to join Russia<\/a> or leave Estonia.<\/p>\n

They leave due to “frustration and insecurity about Narva’s future,” he added. “And this is directly related to the situation our eastern neighbor [Russia] is in. For a long time, we had good prospects as a border city. We expected streams of people who would spend their money here. But that bubble has long since burst.”<\/p>\n

\"Journalist
Journalist Roman Vikulov said it’s the economy that is making Narva locals leave the city, not Russian propagandaImage: Denis Kischinewsky\/DW<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Almost everyone you speak to says life in Estonia is much better than in Russia<\/a>. Those short trips across the border make that clear.<\/p>\n

One of the examples locals point to is the construction of a promenade alongside both sides of the river, something the EU actually contributed funding toward\u00a0as part of a program to promote tourism and good relations between Ivangorod and Narva.<\/p>\n

On the Estonian side, there is now a pleasant walkway along the riverbank. The walkway on the Russian side is significantly shorter and the quality of the construction markedly worse, the city’s residents point out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That is despite the fact that the Russians got more money \u2014 $1.2 million (\u20ac1.04 million) \u2014 for the construction project than the Estonians did: $830,000 (\u20ac720,000). A 2017 report by The New York Times<\/em> concluded that corruption was to blame for the failings of the Russian promenade.<\/p>\n

These are the sorts of comparisons that you can easily make on a weekly basis, said another Narva journalist, Sergei Stepanov. Ivangorod is more depressed, people are poorer and\u00a0pensions in the Russian region of Leningrad are around three times less than those in Estonia.<\/p>\n

That’s\u00a0why Stepanov can’t imagine many locals would support breaking away from Estonia the way that Russian-speaking locals did elsewhere. “People just don’t want to go to Russia,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"Narva
Narva city council member Jana Kondrashova believes some locals may have more extremist ideas, but says they’re in the minorityImage: Denis Kischinewsky\/DW<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jana Kondrashova, the city council’s deputy chairperson, sees it a little differently.<\/p>\n

“There are always going to be people who have a more radical worldview,” she admitted. “Of course, we have people like that too but it’s not a widespread phenomenon.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

What does Russia think about Narva?\u00a0<\/h2>\n

None of that means that Russian imperialists and nationalists have forgotten about Narva.<\/p>\n

In 2022, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned Narva as one of the Russian territories Peter the Great of Russia “reclaimed” in a 1704 battle. The statement caused protests in Estonia at the time.<\/p>\n

Additionally, ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine<\/a>, the Russians have held an annual festival on May 9, the occasion of the Russian celebrations<\/a> commemorating the end of World War II, on their side of the Narva River.<\/p>\n

It features Soviet symbols that have been banned in Estonia, Russian pop stars and a live broadcast of the parades on Red Square in Moscow. The stage and screen in Ivangorod is always positioned on the riverbank so it’s clearly visible to people in Narva.<\/p>\n

This story was originally written in Russian.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Estonian city faces Russian-language separatist campaign<\/h2>\n

Looking at an ordinary map of Estonia, Narva is simply another city on the eastern borders of the European Union. But the city of around 52,000 is more significant than that. Narva, in\u00a0Estonia’s\u00a0Russian-speaking east, is becoming a flash point<\/a> for debates about European security, identity and the future of the bloc.<\/p>\n

Part of the reason for this are calls for the city’s secession from Estonia, a member of the EU, on social media and platforms like Telegram<\/a>. These calls advocate for a so-called “People’s Republic of Narva” and even include a flag and a coat of arms, ideas that remind observers of pro-Russian propaganda about Crimea in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Estonian intelligence services have described the rumors as provocative, and many locals dismiss them as nonsense.<\/p>\n

In Narva itself, life goes on as usual. The shop facades are an interesting mix of Soviet-era styles and contemporary European logos but the streets are not crowded today. A cold wind from Finland<\/a> blows across the Narva River. On the other side of the waterway is the Russian city of\u00a0Ivangorod.<\/p>\n

Narva still has distinct ties to Russia<\/a>. Only about 2% of its residents speak Estonian at home. Most speak Russian, and a\u00a0third of the population holds a Russian passport.<\/p>\n

The Russian border is open but can only be crossed during the day, on foot. Cars and buses cannot currently cross the bridge, which is undergoing maintenance until the end of the year. This decision to ban vehicles was made by Russian authorities.<\/p>\n

For many of Narva’s inhabitants, crossing the bridge, and the border, is a regular part of daily life. Some go shopping, others visit relatives. The fact that ethnic Russians make up the majority in a city bordering Russia<\/a> has led observers to draw parallels to Donbas<\/a> and Crimea<\/a> in Ukraine, and Transnistria<\/a>, which is near Ukraine and Moldova<\/a>. Each of those places are home to locals who do want to join up with Russia.<\/p>\n

But Narva also has strong ties to Europe. It’s often described as the city where Europe begins, and many locals are proud of this label.<\/p>\n

In September, Europe’s largest rare-earth magnet factory opened in Narva. It was funded by the EU and will produce magnets for electric vehicles, wind turbines and microelectronics. Up until now, most of these magnets have been imported from China so the Narva factory is an important step toward\u00a0strategic autonomy for the EU.<\/p>\n

For all these sorts of reasons, Narva\u00a0Mayor\u00a0Katri Raik isn’t too worried about any alleged separatist tendencies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“The people of Narva are worried about their city’s image,” she said. “Such reports give us negative publicity and nobody wants that. Our people love their city and simply don’t have time to invent these kinds of stories.”<\/p>\n

On the streets, it’s hard to find anybody who wants to talk politics. “I’m not interested in any of that,” an elderly passerby told\u00a0DW. “I’ve lived in Narva a long time and the city is what it is. It is always going to be my city.”<\/p>\n

If you ask locals about the idea of a “People’s Republic of Narva,” most will either say it’s fake or a joke.<\/p>\n

“Complete nonsense,” one local said. “Unimaginable.”<\/p>\n

“I don’t think the residents of Narva would want to be part of Russia. I don’t know anyone who would,” said another.<\/p>\n

Local journalist Roman Vikulov can’t imagine there’s much support for secession from Estonia. “There are no separatists in Narva,” he said.<\/p>\n

Vikulov conceded\u00a0that there may well be people in Narva who don’t see many prospects for themselves in Estonia<\/a>. “There’s a lot of disappointment and deep depression,” he explained. “The mood is bad all over. But it’s not aggressive.”<\/p>\n

People move out of the city because they simply can’t see a future for themselves here, he argued, not because they want to join Russia<\/a> or leave Estonia.<\/p>\n

They leave due to “frustration and insecurity about Narva’s future,” he added. “And this is directly related to the situation our eastern neighbor [Russia] is in. For a long time, we had good prospects as a border city. We expected streams of people who would spend their money here. But that bubble has long since burst.”<\/p>\n

Almost everyone you speak to says life in Estonia is much better than in Russia<\/a>. Those short trips across the border make that clear.<\/p>\n

One of the examples locals point to is the construction of a promenade alongside both sides of the river, something the EU actually contributed funding toward\u00a0as part of a program to promote tourism and good relations between Ivangorod and Narva.<\/p>\n

On the Estonian side, there is now a pleasant walkway along the riverbank. The walkway on the Russian side is significantly shorter and the quality of the construction markedly worse, the city’s residents point out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That is despite the fact that the Russians got more money \u2014 $1.2 million (\u20ac1.04 million) \u2014 for the construction project than the Estonians did: $830,000 (\u20ac720,000). A 2017 report by The New York Times<\/em> concluded that corruption was to blame for the failings of the Russian promenade.<\/p>\n

These are the sorts of comparisons that you can easily make on a weekly basis, said another Narva journalist, Sergei Stepanov. Ivangorod is more depressed, people are poorer and\u00a0pensions in the Russian region of Leningrad are around three times less than those in Estonia.<\/p>\n

That’s\u00a0why Stepanov can’t imagine many locals would support breaking away from Estonia the way that Russian-speaking locals did elsewhere. “People just don’t want to go to Russia,” he said.<\/p>\n

Jana Kondrashova, the city council’s deputy chairperson, sees it a little differently.<\/p>\n

“There are always going to be people who have a more radical worldview,” she admitted. “Of course, we have people like that too but it’s not a widespread phenomenon.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

None of that means that Russian imperialists and nationalists have forgotten about Narva.<\/p>\n

In 2022, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned Narva as one of the Russian territories Peter the Great of Russia “reclaimed” in a 1704 battle. The statement caused protests in Estonia at the time.<\/p>\n

Additionally, ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine<\/a>, the Russians have held an annual festival on May 9, the occasion of the Russian celebrations<\/a> commemorating the end of World War II, on their side of the Narva River.<\/p>\n

It features Soviet symbols that have been banned in Estonia, Russian pop stars and a live broadcast of the parades on Red Square in Moscow. The stage and screen in Ivangorod is always positioned on the riverbank so it’s clearly visible to people in Narva.<\/p>\n

This story was originally written in Russian.<\/em><\/p>\n

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/does-the-estonian-city-of-narva-really-want-to-join-russia\/a-76663710″]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76674403_6.jpg”] https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5BfjS Estonian intelligence services have described rumors of Narva’s secession as provocative, and many locals dismiss them as nonsenseImage: Jaap Arriens\/NurPhoto\/picture alliance Looking at an ordinary map of Estonia, Narva is simply another city on the eastern borders of the European Union. But the city of around 52,000 is more significant than […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,74],"class_list":["post-1871400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dw-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1871400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1871400"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1871400\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1871400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1871400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1871400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}