Russia is preparing to establish the ‘Narva People’s Republic’ in Estonia
Activity on the Telegram channel promoting the idea of the ‘Narva People’s Republic’ proved to be extremely limited. The administrator, using the username N-1, communicated with only a few people, including a dockworker from Sillamäe and another participant from Tallinn, according to Balticsentinel.
One of the journalists joined the chat, posing as a resident of Sillamäe. All participants in the conversation remained anonymous. The administrator asked about the participants’ places of residence and motives, and also emphasised the need to adhere to confidentiality rules, in particular the ban on copying messages.
The chat discussed spreading ideas via leaflets and the internet. The administrator suggested that participants print the materials themselves, and if this was not possible, to leave them in designated locations in Narva only.
The instructions mainly concerned online behaviour. Questions regarding the organisation of real-life actions were not addressed. It emerged from the conversation that the project had a minimal number of supporters and limited funding.
Photographs of weapons appeared on the Telegram channel, which, according to the source, looked like random images from the internet with added symbols. The channel also began collecting funds via crypto wallets.
At the same time, the messages emphasised that this was not about secession from Estonia, but about autonomy and ‘equal rights’.
It was not possible to identify the administrator’s location. However, there are indications that they do not reside in Estonia and are unfamiliar with the local political situation. A possible link to Russia may be confirmed by the community’s previous name on VKontakte, ‘Blindage 78’.
A Telegram channel with the same name was created in March 2024. It has over 500 subscribers and publishes military-themed material, references to the USSR, as well as content supporting the Russian army.
The name Ilya Boykov appears in some of the posts. The materials mention events in St Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast.
Similar initiatives have emerged in other Baltic states. In Latvia, the idea of a ‘Latgale People’s Republic’ had previously been proposed, but it failed to gain support. In 2024, a new Telegram channel with more militarised content appeared, linked to individuals from Russia and Belarus.
Attempts to spread similar ideas were also recorded in Lithuania, but they did not gain traction.
In Kazakhstan, in March 2023, a group of individuals announced the creation of a ‘People’s Council’ in Petropavlovsk. Criminal proceedings were subsequently initiated. In other cases, liability was also imposed for displays of separatism.
Kazakh journalist Arman Shoraev noted that such actions are a tool of hybrid warfare used against neighbouring states.
The Estonian Security Service stated that such projects bear the hallmarks of information operations.
“There are grounds to believe that this is an information operation aimed at creating confusion and undermining social unity. It is a simple and cheap way to cause alarm in society,” said the agency’s representative, Marta Tuul.
