Narva in Russia's sights. The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns against a dangerous provocation

Narva is and will always remain an Estonian city. Information about the alleged separatist movement of the Narew People's Republic is a “cheap” way to provoke society, said the head of Estonian diplomacy, Margus Tsahkna.

Narva, located on the border with Russia, is the easternmost city of the EU and most of the inhabitants are Russian-speaking. According to the head of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, calling for the creation of the “Narewa People's Republic” is an attempt to cause confusion and weaken the cohesion of society.

“We have already seen such tactics from Russia,” Tsahkna wrote on the X platform. The minister accompanied his entry with a photo of the fortress in Narva, with the flags of the EU, Estonia and Ukraine hanging on its walls.

According to Estonia's counterintelligence service, separatist activity on social media, especially on Russian-language channels, can be considered an “information operation” that may also have criminal consequences, the Delfi website reported.

In Narva, the third largest city in Estonia, inhabited by just over 50,000. people, almost 90 percent speaks Russian. The border bridge over the Narva connects the city with the Russian Ivangorod. In geopolitical analyses, Narva is often mentioned as one of the West's weakest points in a possible armed confrontation with Russia. In the so-called In the “Narwa scenario”, which assumes a quick military attack by Russia on a border town under the pretext of protecting the Russian population, Moscow, by then threatening to use nuclear weapons, would thus seek to block NATO's intervention and response. (PAP)

pmo/sp/