Narva Museum director considers Russian arrest in absentia 'great honor'

According to a report by independent Russian-language media outlet Mediazona, Narva Museum Director Maria Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova has been arrested in absentia by Moscow's Basmanny District Court due to spreading "fake news about the Russian military." Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova told ERR that she considers the ruling a "great honor."
According Mediazona, the court hearing related to Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova took place in mid-January. The Narva Museum director is accused of being part of a group of people spreading fake news about the Russian military. No information about the nature of the charges or who else is considered to be part of the group of accused was available.
Narva Museum is located in the city's medieval castle on the border with Russia. In both 2023 and 2024, a banner stating "Putin is a war criminal" with bloodstains on it was hung on the wall of the castle on May 9. The date is when Russia marks "Victory Day" while Estonia celebrates "Europe Day." The banner was large enough on both occasions to be clearly visible across the Narva River in Russian border town Ivangorod.
While Russian border guards demanded the banner's removal, the Estonian authorities refused.
Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova, who has been on the Russian Interior Ministry's wanted list since the summer of 2024, told ERR's Russian-language portal that she considers the court decision to be something of a badge of honor.
"To sum it up briefly, I consider this a great honor," said Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova. "The only thing I'm surprised about is that it took so long for this judgement to be handed down. I've been expecting it from as far back as 2023. It is very good that this judgement has now been handed down. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Now I can plan my strategy for traveling to different countries," she said, adding that the banner will be displayed from the castle wall again on May 9 this year.
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Editor: Elina Kachan, Michael Cole