The museum has displayed a banner calling Putin a "war criminal" on the castle's tower since 2023.

This year, a new banner comparing the Russian president to Hitler was hung instead. It says "PUTLER WAR CRIMINAL."

Hitler has long served as the central symbol of evil in the ideological messaging promoted for decades by the Soviet regime and, later, by Putin's regime, which followed in its footsteps.

Narva Museum Director Maria Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova said the banner is put up every year to remind people about Russia's full-scale war and the crimes it has committed.

"Today, on Europe Day, we celebrate peace and freedom. With the end of the Second World War, it was peace and freedom, respect for sovereignty, and the principles of solidarity that became the core values ​​of the European community. At the same time, a full-scale war unleashed by Putin has been going on for four years next to us. We call a dictator a dictator, and war crimes war crimes," she told ERR's Russian language portal.

Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova has reportedly been sentenced in absentia in Russia for "fake news about the Russian military." Last year, she organized an exhibition about the bombing of Narva by the USSR in 1944, which destroyed most of the city. She called the move "a great honor."

The banner is also a response to the "propaganda concert" held in Ivangorod, across the river. Since 2023, large screens have been set up facing Estonia, broadcasting propaganda concerts and similar content to the city's mainly Russian-speaking residents.

On May 9, the Russian regime traditionally marks the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany with a heavy dose of propaganda. The public holiday has increasingly focused on showing its military might to "unfriendly countries" – those in NATO – and boasting that it can wage more wars.

Estonia marks the end of the Second World War on May 8, along with the rest of the allies. However, for Estonia, the day was the start of a second occupation by the USSR, which ended in 1991, rather than the end of the war.

May 9 is celebrated as Europe Day, which stresses messages of peace, unity, and European integration. Concerts are held in both Tallinn and Narva.

This article was updated to add additional context and quotes from Maria Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova. Then for a second time to to add the photo gallery.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!