For a couple of weeks, the people of Narva have been watching what kind of party Russia is organizing on the opposite shore.
First the cottage fell. Then scaffolding and a big screen came up. The celebration field next to the medieval Iivananlinna castle on the east side of the Narva river will be completed for Moscow’s Victory Day.
For a couple of weeks, the people of Narva have been watching what kind of party Russia is organizing on the opposite shore. The screen is oriented so that the best spectator seats are on the Narva side, in the yard of the Hermann Castle and on the beach promenade.
“Big screen, stage, tent, Russian flag, St. George ribbon, red star. Everything looks good,” Narva’s mayor Katri Raik lists for Helsingin Sanomat a new view on the opposite bank.
In Estonia, the orange-black-striped St. George’s ribbon is banned as a symbol inciting war.
The party place by the river is scenic.
“During the Soviet era, when there were no discos yet, there was a dance floor at the same place,” says Raik.
Estonia has banned public gatherings on Russia’s Victory Day in areas inhabited by Russian-speaking people in Eastern and Western Virumaa and Harjumaa surrounding Tallinn. The ban is justified by the fact that Moscow uses history as a tool of provocation.
There has never been anything similar to the now built celebration field, says city manager Raik.
However, the party organized by Vastranta with its screens does not cause new restrictions in Narva.
“People can walk freely in a free country and leash their dogs. The beach promenade is open,” says Raik.
Hermann fortress, on the other hand, is closed on Tuesdays as usual.
Raiki has a simple explanation for the party organized by Russia in the small border town:
“Sheer provocation.”
In many in Russian cities, traditional celebrations are canceled for fear of unrest.
With less than ten thousand inhabitants, Ivangorod, i.e. Ivananlinna, is an exception. It has announced well in advance that it will organize a concert on May 9. The program includes at least a performance by a Kazakh choir.
The city has also been announced by the Grand Duke of Moscow Iivana the third or Iivana Suuren about the intention to unveil the statue, but there were no signs of it on Monday in the photos taken from the opposite shore.
Iivana thirdly, Russia thanks the construction of the fortress at the end of the 15th century, when the Grand Duchy of Moscow expanded by force. At that time, the Hermann fortress, which belonged to the Knights of Livonia, already stood on the west bank of the Narva river.
Two medieval fortresses, one with the Russian flag on the tower, the other with the Estonian flag, now again reflect the contrast between the West and the East.
Estonia and Latvia have removed dozens of Soviet-era World War II memorials from parade grounds since Russia launched a major offensive against Ukraine in February last year.
The people of Narva used to admire the Soviet-era T-34 tank, which Estonia moved from the banks of the Narva river to the military museum last summer. The empty place has been filled with flowers ever since. A copy of a similar assault chariot was erected in Iivananlinna.
Latvia has also banned Moscow’s Victory Day celebrations. It calls for remembering the victims of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.
In Estonia, Russian speakers make up about a quarter, in Latvia about a third of the population. Many people have a habit of remembering their ancestors who died in the Second World War on May 9. It is still allowed privately.
In Latvia, the gathering place for thousands was traditionally a giant military monument, which was torn down by the city of Riga last summer. The area is still isolated and traffic is restricted on Tuesday.
In Tallinn, thousands have traditionally flowered the Bronze Soldier in the inner-city cemetery, where the state moved it sixteen years ago, accompanied by riots. On Tuesdays, the statue can exceptionally only be reached on foot or by bus.
Instead, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia invites people to Freedom Square to celebrate Europe Day, where the embassies of EU countries present themselves. The main performer of the evening is last year’s Eurovision winner, the Ukrainian Kalush Orchestra.
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