Authorities in the Russian border town of Ivangorod are preparing to hold another concert on May 9 for the residents of Narva across the river.
Photographs taken by ERR’s photographer on Monday show a stage being erected close to the bridge and border checkpoint over the River Narva in Ivangorod, facing Narva.
In response, Narva Museum has said it will again hang a banner calling President Vladimir Putin a war criminal, which will be visible from across the river. Estonian, EU, Ukrainian and Narva’s green and yellow flag are also hanging on the walls.
“The poster will be displayed on the flag tower of Narva Castle on May 9, Europe Day, as a reminder of the war that is currently ongoing and of Russia’s war crimes against the Ukrainian people,” said Narva Museum Director Maria Smorževskihh-Smirnova.
“For us, this is not just a date, but an important symbolic moment that takes on special significance in Narva as a border city.”
This will be the fourth concert organized by the Ivangorod authorities since Russia launched it’s fullscale war on Ukraine in 2022.
The concert, held to mark the end of World War II and Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany, beams the annual military parade on Moscow’s Red Square and patriotic wartime songs across the river to Estonia’s residents.
Russia emphasizes its role in “liberating” countries that were occupied by Nazi Germany on May 9. However, for Estonians, it marks the start of the USSR’s second occupation of Estonia, which only ended in 1991.
A free concert to celebrate Europe Day will be held in the center of Narva, away from the river, on May 9 for the city’s residents. Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) will also be in Narva on Saturday.
ISS: Russia exploiting Narva residents’ emotions
Estonia’s security services say the screens are only installed by the river, with the screens turned towards Narva, and not anywhere else in the city for Ivangorod residents.
The Internal Security Service (ISS/KAPO) wrote about the “propaganda concert” in its 2023/2024 yearbook. It said Russia is looking for new ways to carry out influence operations and called the event a “highly visible public action.”
It put the attendance figure on the Estonian side of the river in 2023 at approximately 2,000.
“This does not imply that the entire audience shared Russia’s current views and values. Some were there out of curiosity, while other Narva residents used the occasion to commemorate their relatives who perished in events of World War II – an annual tradition on May 9,” it wrote.
However, organizers of the “concert-cum-political-rally” attempted to add an “inappropriate and cynical, aggressively political layer of meaning to the commemoration of war victims, exploiting the emotions of Narva residents.”
“Against the backdrop of commemorating victims, attempts were once again made to incite opposition-based historical narratives and revive old enmity arising from historical controversy,” the yearbook said.
You can see the gallery of photos from 2025 below, along with the Europe Day concert held in the center of Narva.
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