Narva is the easternmost city in Estonia and the European Union. Russian is the mother tongue of 98 per cent of the population. Narva has the highest unemployment rate and the lowest average income in the country. ‘Narva was forgotten by Estonia,’ says local journalist Aleksei Ivanov during a tour of his city. ‘That changed in 2014 with the start of the Russian war against Ukraine.’ Suddenly, Narva moved to the centre of world politics. The reason: only the Narva River separates Russia from Estonia, the EU, the Schengen area and NATO territory. The scenario that Russia could attack NATO territory via Narva was described time and again. ‘Suddenly, journalists from all over the world were interested in the most Russian city outside Russia,’ explains Aleksei. He smiles at this scenario and asks: ‘Why would Russia attack over Narva when there is only one bridge?’
Two medieval castles rise high above the river - one in the Estonian town of Narva and the other in the Russian town of Ivangorod. The Friendship Bridge connects the two twin cities. However, it is completely barred and fenced in. The days of friendship are over for Estonia. The border crossing in Narva can now only be crossed on foot. Alkesei explains that the Russians closed the border crossing to car traffic about two years ago in order to carry out construction work. Nobody knows if and when cars will be able to cross the bridge again. On the Estonian side, a queue of people over 100 metres long forms in front of the border checkpoint. ‘This is due to the extensive checks carried out by the Estonian border authorities, who check whether the sanctions against Russia are being observed.’ According to Aleksei, it often takes several hours, sometimes six, sometimes eight, before people can continue their journey to Russia with their wheeled suitcases. Some have umbrellas to protect them from the sun, others sit on their own folding chairs. Children play on the neighbouring green space. From here, it is only about 150 kilometres to the Russian metropolis of St. Petersburg.
Narva is a somewhat dreary place. Grey, sometimes somewhat run-down blocks of flats characterise the cityscape. Entire streets consist of the so-called ‘Khrushchevkas’, buildings made of grey, unplastered bricks. They were built in the 1950s during the Nikita Khrushchev era to quickly create urgently needed living space. Narva was almost completely destroyed by Soviet air raids in 1944. The Kreenholm textile factory, founded in the 19th century, has been partially preserved. With over 10,000 employees, it was considered the largest textile factory in Europe and the Russian Empire. The factory resumed work after the war. People from all over Russia settled in Narva because there were jobs and the chance of a better life in the Soviet Union.
Aleksei's grandmother also came to Narva from the Caucasus as a textile engineer. Aleksei was born here, grew up here and has spent most of his life in Narva. After school, university and the army, he lived abroad for a few years, but returned in 2020 during the pandemic to look after his grandmother. Today, he lives in the EU's easternmost city out of conviction and with enthusiasm. "I enjoy the peace and quiet and the relaxed and simple life. The cost of living is also lower than in other Estonian cities." Aleksei likes his city and its buildings. He even likes the twelve-storey Brutalist-style tower block from 1969, which is located in the centre of the city. On the roof of the building is a concrete water tank that looks like a brutalist work of art. ‘This water tank was never used because the water supply was organised differently when it was completed,’ explains Aleksei with a smile. But a Narva without this building is unthinkable for him. He has his office in Narva's only ‘tower block’.
A lot has changed in the city in recent years. The border closures and sanctions against Russia have hit Narva hard. ‘Narva was the gateway to Russia for Europe and the gateway to Europe for Russia,’ explains Aleksei. Since Estonia's independence and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, business with Russia has boomed.
"There were many Russian tourists here. Hotels were built, the shops were full and trade flourished," he remembers the time before 2022, when Russians liked coming here because they were in Europe, but all spoke their language.
Those days are over. Cooperation with Russia is out of the question for the Estonian state. The trauma of the Estonian people due to the two occupations by the Soviet Union (1940 to 1941 and 1944 to 1991) is firmly anchored in their memory. It was a completely controlled society. Arrests, executions and deportations determined the lives of thousands of Estonians. This is commemorated in numerous museums and with large monuments.
Aleksei makes it clear that he considers the sanctions against Russia as the aggressor to be justified. However, he has no sympathy for Russians living in Estonia being blamed for the war. ‘Nobody asked us whether we were in favour of the war or wanted it.’
I feel like a person from Narva first, a Narvaian, and then a citizen of Estonia. But my spiritual and cultural roots are Russian." Russians have a hard time in Estonia, and it is not made easy for them to become part of Estonian society, Aleksei explains. ‘Only about half of the people in Narva have an Estonian passport, the others are either Russian citizens or stateless.’
The Estonian state is enacting more and more laws that make the population of Russian origin feel responsible for the war. One highly controversial issue is the regulation that Estonian is gradually to become the language of instruction in all year groups at Estonian schools. There are still many Russian schools that teach according to the Estonian curriculum but in Russian. The plan is to end this by 2032.
According to Aleksei, it doesn't matter what the Russian population thinks about world politics. "As Russians, we no longer take part in these discussions. Any opinion would be wrong or misinterpreted." Aleksei would like to show the German military cemetery on the outskirts of Narva. The German Wehrmacht established the cemetery in 1943 and buried around 4,000 soldiers there. The cemetery was levelled in 1945. The German War Graves Commission subsequently developed the site as a central resting place for the dead of the Narva front. Around 15,000 German soldiers who lost their lives in the Second World War are now buried here. ‘They deserve to be remembered here,’ comments Aleksei.
For the future of Narva and the people of Narva, he hopes ‘that we are left as we are’. ‘Nobody has to tell us how we should be or how we should become more Estonian.’ He points out that the people of Narva also took part in the independence movement in the early 1990s. ‘The people of Narva appreciate that they live in Europe, but they have their roots in Russia.’
Perhaps Narva is not such a bleak place after all. Old industrial architecture offers room for big dreams: the old factory buildings could be used for culture. Small institutions and companies are discovering the charm of the former factory owners' villas. The riverside promenade attracts people for a stroll. Individual anglers stand on the bank. People bathe in a side arm of the Narva. The Baltic Sea with its endless sandy beach is only 15 kilometres away. "There was always a future for Narva. And there will be again this time," Aleksei is convinced. We're at the stage where we're saying, ‘things will get better in Narva at some point’.
