9 may
Впереди 9 мая - второе после российского вторжения в Украину и первое после волны переноса памятников и установки на них нейтральных табличек.
PPA announced that it prohibits the organization of public gatherings in Harju, Lääne-Viru and Ida-Viru counties from May 5 to May 9 if there is reason to believe that the gathering will incite hostility by displaying symbols of the aggressor state.
Kumm said that about 200 incidents involving the use of symbols supporting the aggressor state were registered on May 9 of last year.
"The symbols currently worn by Russian soldiers committing war crimes have no place in a free Estonia as the courts have repeatedly ruled in the past year," he said.
The police prohibited public gatherings with a high likelihood of using hostile symbols on May 9 and the preceding days, as they could lead to serious offenses and conflicts.
"This means that there must be no processions, gatherings or speeches that advocate war and support the Putin regime's war crimes in Ukraine with symbols, words and deeds," Kumm explained.
On May 9, Russia celebrates its victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, which has become the foundation of its aggressive ideology. The holiday is also extensively observed in former Soviet republics and countries with sizable Russian populations. During the celebrations, it is common to see Russian tricolor, Soviet flags and the ribbon of Saint George, a Russian military symbol that also appears in Kremlin propaganda.
Narva Museum hangs poster facing Russia depicting Putin
Narva Museum hung a poster depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal on the Russian side of the Narva Fortress wall.
The poster on the wall of the Hermann Fortress on the Narva River is visible from Ivangorod, Dmitry Fedotkin, an ERR correspondent in Narva, said.
"This is a planned installation by the museum and the Propastop group that will be on exhibit for a few days. It serves as a clear reminder that there is a border here in Narva. The poster is hung on a wall with the Estonian flag," Maria Smorzhevskih-Smirnova, museum director, told ERR's Russian language portal on Tuesday.
"This location [of the poster] is right across the river from where the Ivangorod stage is built. We need to remember that there is a full-scale war waged by Putin right next to us. We felt it necessary to display this installation as a reminder that everything has a price," she said.
Nonetheless, the director of the museum said doing so on "such a sad and momentous day of victory over fascism" was difficult.
The goal of the action, according to the organizers, is to fight manipulation and misinformation in Russian media.
Photos of the sign on the castle wall are uploaded on the museum's social media with the caption "This is the border!"
The message reminds us that today's war unleashed by Russia is a war crime.
On May 9, Russia commemorates the anniversary of its victory over Nazi Germany during World War II with a concert near the fortress walls of Ivangorod. The stage is visible from the Narva river promenade.
Raik and Jevgrafov disagreed on the poster
Aleksei Yevgrafov (Center) said this is not the best action and it is staged on the wrong day. "The Russians in Ivangorod are building a stage, and we in Narva are hanging a poster in response. It does not make anyone look good," the opposition councilman, said.
"It looks like a childish rivalry; it is not appropriate for the Narva Museum, a municipal and state institution, to do so on May 9, the day when many Narva residents commemorate the defeat of Nazism and fascism. It is absolutely blasphemous to tie Putin to this event. This man has nothing to do with the holy holiday and this victory," Yevgrafov told ERR's Russian-language news portal rus.err.ee.
He said that such an poster could be displayed on another day. "It would be more appropriate, as it reflects the current position of the Estonian government and, in my opinion, would provoke less emotions."
Narva Mayor Katri Raik (SDE) said that in the context of international events it is nothing reprehensible. "Such a poster must be coordinated with the building's proprietor, the Narva Museum. It is located near the state border, so the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) must also give its approval. According to my knowledge, the owner's permission has been obtained and this poster represents Estonia's official foreign policy. If one side undertakes certain actions, the other side responds accordingly. This is the current situation," Raik said.
Jevgrafov congratulated everyone on Victory Day and Europe Day and Katri Raik, his political rival, on Europe Day.
Raik wrote on social media that she and Narva City Council member Tatiana Stolfat placed flowers at the memorial near the Narva River, where hundreds of thousands of victims of German and Soviet Russian concentration camps are buried.
The PPA told rus.err.ee that the poster was placed on a private property and did not require police approval.
Russia demands the removal of the poster
At midday, representatives of the border guards of the two countries convened on a bridge over the Narva River. The Russian representatives demanded that the poster be removed, but Estonia refused.
According to ERR, the meeting occurred at the request of the Russian side, which was later confirmed by Indrek Püvi, director of the Narva Police Department.
"Today at ten o'clock, representatives of the Estonian and Russian border guard services convened. The meeting was not pre-arranged; rather, it was initiated by the Russian side. Among other topics, the issue of the Narva Museum's poster was discussed. Representatives from Russia demanded that our border officers remove the poster," Püvi said.
Representatives of the Police and Border Guard Board, according to him, clarified that such a poster is not prohibited in Estonia. "Our work is based on Estonian law, and Russian officials have no grounds to demand the removal of the poster," the police officer explained.
Evening concerts will be held on the Russian side of the Narva River in Ivangorod, where a screen and stage have been set up. The screen is visible from the Narva side of the river.
Arnold Sinisalu, the chief of the Estonian Internal Security Service (ISS), told Russian-language ERR program "Interview of the Week" that the May 9 celebration in Estonia had been relatively quiet.
Sinisalu, who has led the ISS for a decade, said there was nothing wrong with the May 9 concert in Ivangorod, which attracted hundreds of Narva residents to the opposite bank of the river: "People want to see what is going on there. This may have been Ivangorod's largest event in the past 30 years. It's okay, let people feel good."
A poster with the inscription "Putin is a war criminal" was displayed on the walls of Narva Castle, in response to the concert. Sinisalu emphasized that the poster is accurate, because the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for war crimes for Putin, and the state was not going to remove it. "We are a free nation; we do what we must, regardless of what someone likes or dislikes," Sinisalu said.
Crowds gather in Narva to watch Victory Day concert on Russia's border
Hundreds of people gathered in Estonia's border city Narva on Tuesday to watch a May 9 Victory Day concert on the opposite side of the border in Russia's Ivangorod.
The concert was organized by the Ivangorod authorities on the banks of the River Narva, which separates Russia and Estonia.
A screen and stage were erected facing Estonia next to the city's fortress.
On Tuesday afternoon, several hundred people gathered on the promenade along Estonia's side of the border to watch the concert.
ERR's Narva correspondent Sergei Stepanov said police officers were in attendance.
He said the concert started later than expected and was attended by the head of the Leningrad region. Stepanov said a patriotic film was shown alongside live performances.
Last week, it was announced that a concert would be held on the Russian border on Victory Day.
In response, Narva Castle Museum, which faces Russia, hung a banner on its walls on Tuesday calling President Vladimir Putin a war criminal.
"This is a planned installation by the museum and the Propastop group that will be on exhibit for a few days. It serves as a clear reminder that there is a border here in Narva. The poster is hung on a wall with the Estonian flag," Maria Smorzhevskih-Smirnova, museum director, told ERR's Russian language portal on Tuesday.
Victory Day — May 9 — is the day Russia commemorates World War II and its role in defeating Nazi Germany in 1945.
For Estonia, the day was the start of almost 50 years of occupation which only ended in 1991. The country now celebrates the end of World War II on May 8, along with other EU member states.
People also commemorated the day in Tallinn and elsewhere in Ida-Viru County.
Relations between Estonia and Russia have plummeted since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia demands removal of banner
At midday, representatives of the border guards of the two countries convened on a bridge over the Narva River. The Russian representatives demanded that the poster be removed, but Estonia refused.
According to ERR, the meeting occurred at the request of the Russian side, which was later confirmed by Indrek Püvi, director of the Narva Police Department.
"Today at ten o'clock, representatives of the Estonian and Russian border guard services convened. The meeting was not pre-arranged; rather, it was initiated by the Russian side. Among other topics, the issue of the Narva Museum's poster was discussed. Representatives from Russia demanded that our border officers remove the poster," Püvi said.
Representatives of the Police and Border Guard Board, according to him, clarified that such a poster is not prohibited in Estonia.
"Our work is based on Estonian law, and Russian officials have no grounds to demand the removal of the poster," the police officer explained.
Narva schoolteacher resigns over backlash at her anti-Putin t-shirt slogan
A Narva teacher has resigned from her post after coming under pressure from parents at the school she works at, following her publicly expressed, stance against Russian leader Vladimir Putin and, by implication, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, portal Delfi reports.
Delfi says (link in Estonian) that the teacher, Alina Vorontšihhina, who teaches music at Narva Vanalinna riigikool, had, along with many others, attended a gathering on Tuesday, May 9, which also happens to be "victory day" in Russia.
Footage shows she was wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the Russian slogan "Putin kh**lo" ("Putin is a d*ck"), and it was this which prompted a backlash from upset parents of children attending the Narva Vanalinna riigikool, after the footage went vial on TikTok.
Director of the school Tatjana Salu says that Vorontšihhina was not fired, either due to the slogan of for any other reason, but had left of her own volition, while Vorontšihhina herself declined to comment on the matter to Delfi.
Her last day of work at the Narva Vanalinna riigikool will be May 19, though Salu said that Vorontšihhina in any case was only on a fixed-term contract through to the summer and had opted to bring her leaving date forward, following a meeting.
Social media comments from parents revealed anger at Vorontšihhina's actions in relation to her work as a teacher, Delfi reports; many parents and some pupils rejected Salu's explanation that Vorontšihhina's actions had taken place outside of school hours, in her own free time.
Salu had initially suggested Vorontšihhina explain her actions to the parents, but her resignation in effect rendered this moribund.
Salu did not answer clearly as to whether Vorontšihhina would have faced disciplinary action had she stayed on at the school, simply saying that while all have their right to their opinion, Narva is a city where everyone knows everyone else and thus people must be treated with respect.
On Tuesday, a large poster (pictured) was hung from the walls of Narva Castle with an image of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and text in English referring to him as a war criminal. Meanwhile on the opposite bank of the Narva River in Ivangorod, Russia, a May 9 concert was set up so as to be viewable, and audible, from the Estonian side of the border, where a crowd of several hundred reportedly gathered to watch the proceedings.
A Narva teacher who has stepped down after a backlash over her public statements on Russian leader Vladimir Putin was exercising her right to free speech, Minister of Education Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) says.
Kallas added that she also concurs with the viewpoint of the teacher, Alina Vorontšihhina, who teaches music at the Narva Vanalinna riigikool but is to leave her post in a week's time, after sporting a t-shirt in public, which referred to Putin in derogatory terms.
Minister Kallas has requested an explanatory letter on the matter from the school's director, Tatjana Salu.
The minister stressed that Vorontšihhina was not fired, and is leaving of her own volition, adding that: "I am dealing with this issue in hand now, and I have asked the school's director for a letter of explanation."
"It is surely unacceptable for parents to pressurize a teacher, forcing her into a corner in this way, until she quits," the minister went on.
"The teacher has the right to express her own opinion, while the director must protect the teacher from such attacks. And this [Vorontšihhina] statement of opinion was absolutely correct, and the teacher had the right to express it. I am trying to establish, together with the head of the school, what actually happened there during a 10-minute conversation between the director and the teacher," Kallas continued.
Vorontšihhina was filmed wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a slogan, in Russian, which could be interpreted as reading "Putin is a d*ck" depending on which letters one substitutes the starred-out characters with.
The teacher was at the time, Tuesday, on the public promenade alongside the Narva River, on the day when a pro-Putin, pro-war concert had been organized just across the river in Ivangorod, in Russian territory, and effectively played also for an audience on the Estonian side of the river.
May 9 is "victory day" in Russia.
The video soon circulated on social media, prompting a backlash from angry parents and also some pupils, which in turn led to the short meeting between Salu and Vorontšihhina, and the latter's resignation. At that meeting, Salu had reportedly requested Vorontšihhina face the upset parents, to give an account of herself.
The chief of the Estonian ISS said that law enforcement agencies had been preparing for May 9 for several weeks, so no major incidents had occurred.
Sinisalu, a longtime director general of the ISS, a police officer and a lawyer, said that he is not aware of the existence of any fifth column in Estonia. "I do not believe we have it. There are many different people living here, and those who speak Russian also have many different viewpoints. As a jurist, I think a fifth column is a powerful organization and that does not exist in Estonia. There are people who, for instance, dislike the government, but there are also such individuals among Estonians, whom we do not call a fifth column. I think it's wrong and unfair to say that about people and it has to stop."
On Monday, May 8, the Koos party was registered in Tartu (link in Estonian), one of whose leaders is currently detained for posing a security risk. Sinisalu said it is standard for parties to be registered in Estonia, as the law permits that. "In the 1930s, there were also those who advocated for war neutrality. Currently, the same scenario is occurring. But we know what happened then, so Estonia's position is very clear now."
The problem arises when there is a threat to the nation and the Constitution, he emphasized; "I do not see such a threat at this time."
When asked about the authorities' plans to revoke Russian and Belarusian citizens' right to vote in upcoming elections, Sinisalu explained that this is a complex legal issue that must be addressed. Russian and Belarusian citizens have the right to choose their local government.
Even though there appears to be no threat to state authority, but the law stipulates that during presidential elections, if the legislature cannot reach a consensus, the electoral council will have the authority to select the president. Such a committee is comprised of municipal government representatives, among others, so those elected by citizens of hostile nations can have a significant impact on Estonia's politics, he explained. "Perhaps it is not wise to do so during the war, but in the end, it's a purely political issue," he said.
The question of the expulsion or arrest of individuals involved, among other things, in the organization of events on May 9 was also brought up: whether such serious measures were necessary. "Approximately 10 people had their residency permits revoked. I must emphasize that these people tried very hard; we had no choice but to act. It was appropriate from our side. If people dislike living in Estonia, they should move elsewhere. We should not have to put up with such a hard life in Estonia," he said.
In one month, Sinisalu's tenure as director general of the ISS will end. He said that he has not yet decided what he will do next. "First I will take a long vacation, and then I will think about what to do next," he said, adding, however, that he does not see himself in politics.
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