Estonian Officials Respond to Putin Remarks on Narva and Baltic History
The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Ambassador Vladimir Lipayev of the Russian Federation condemned President Putin’s recent remarks. The exchange followed the dissemination of a message from the information departments on Friday, concerning the city of Narva.
During a meeting with the ambassador, Deputy Foreign Minister Rein Tammsaar voiced deep disappointment with President Putin’s comments about Narva, underscoring that Russia continues a vengeful posture that rejects the sovereignty and security of neighboring states. Against the backdrop of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, the recent bill in the State Duma to overturn resolutions recognizing Lithuanian independence and to threaten further “demilitarization” and minimization of other states is seen as dangerous and irresponsible. Rather than adhering to international law and respecting the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, Moscow has relied on propaganda alongside military pressure, including attempts to rewrite history to serve imperial aims.
Estonian diplomats are confident that this approach will fail. Estonia consistently reiterates that Russia has violated international law by invading Ukraine and must comply with the March 16 decision of the International Court of Justice. Moscow is urged to withdraw its troops from Ukraine, end hostilities, and respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and borders within internationally recognized boundaries.
What Putin Said
On the previous day, while addressing a group of young entrepreneurs, President Putin stated that during the Great Northern War, Peter I “did not take anything from Sweden, but returned it.” He reminded listeners that no European power recognized the area as part of Russia, noting that it had long been recognized as Swedish, inhabited by Slavic communities alongside Finno-Ugric peoples, under Russian suzerainty at different times. He asserted that Western developments remain similar and connected Narva to his first military campaign in the west.
History and Significance of Narva
Narva sits on the left bank of its river, a city with a population of about 53,953 as of January 1, 2022, making it the third-largest city in Estonia. Its border location has long shaped its fate. In the early 13th century, Danish forces expanded into northern Estonia up to the Narova River, and Danish records from 1241 mention the village of Narvia as part of today’s Narva territory.
In early Russian chronicles, the fortified settlement appears in the Novgorod I Chronicle of 1256 under the name Narova. By 1492, Grand Prince Ivan III of Moscow built the Ivangorod fortress opposite Narva to counter Livonian power. The conflict profile intensified during the Livonian War, when Russian troops captured Narva on May 11, 1558.
Tsar Ivan the Terrible envisioned Narva as a major Baltic port for Russia. Orthodox churches arose, and many Russian merchants and craftsmen settled in the city during the years of Russian administration. Narva’s trade connected northern German cities, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, and England, fueling economic growth. Yet such a development unsettled Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, both of which sought control of the Baltic region and moved to seize Narva.
During the siege of 1581, Swedish forces captured Narva, and in 1590 Russian troops again surrounded the city. The 1595 Tyavzinsky Peace settled disputes between Moscow and Stockholm, with Moscow renouncing claims to Narva and Revel but taking lands east of the Narova River. Peter the Great later launched the Northern War to reclaim Narva. Although the Russian army endured a defeat in November 1700, it finally captured Narva in August 1704, and the city was incorporated into St. Petersburg province after the war’s outcomes reshaped regional borders.
Following the February 1917 revolutions, Narva’s governance petitioned to separate from the Yamburg district and join the Estonian province. The request was granted on November 16, 1917. After World War I, German defeat led to Red Army advances into Estonia in 1918. The 1920 treaty between Soviet Russia and Estonia confirmed Narva as part of Estonia. In 1940, Narva was annexed to the Soviet Union as part of the Estonian SSR, a chapter that later changed with Estonia regaining independence in 1991.