According to a report by the Russian media outlet "Vzglyad," Russia's investigative committee has charged Director of the Narva Museum Maria Smorževskihh-Smirnova with the "rehabilitation of Nazism and public dissemination of knowingly false information about the Russian Armed Forces."
Smorževskihh-Smirnova has organized several exhibitions and events at Narva Museum that have irked the Russian authorities.
Last year, a new exhibition on the March 1944 bombing of Narva was opened at the museum, and ahead of May 9 (when Russia marks "Victory Day" and Europe marks "Europe Day" – ed.), a giant English-language poster declaring Vladimir Putin to be a war criminal was placed on display on the Ivangorod-facing wall of Narva Castle, both under her leadership.
Since that summer, Smorževskihh-Smirnova has been on the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs' most wanted list.
This January, independent Russian-language media outlet Mediazona reported that Smorževskihh-Smirnova had been arrested in absentia by Moscow's Basmanny District Court over spreading "fake news about the Russian military."
According to the version of events presented by Russia's investigative committee, in 2023, 2024 and 2025, on the day Russia celebrates Victory Day (May 9), Smorževskihh-Smirnova organized the placement of banners on the wall of the Narva Castle containing the image of Vladimir Putin and "containing false information about his commission of war crimes".
"This is our message, which is a reminder of the current full-scale war and war crimes. Today, on Europe Day (May 9 – ed.), we celebrate peace and freedom. With the end of the Second World War, there was peace and freedom, respect for sovereignty and the principles of solidarity, that became the basic values of the European Community. At the same time, a full-scale war is being waged next to us for the fourth year – unleashed by Putin. We are calling a dictator a dictator, war crimes: war crimes," Smorževskihh-Smirnova said on May 9, 2025.
Speaking to ERR at the time, Smorževskihh-Smirnova described her arrest in absentia by the Russian court as a "great honor."
In 2025, Smorževskihh-Smirnova was awarded the title of "European of the Year."
"Europe starts from Narva, and I'm glad this title went there this year as well," said Ave Schank-Lukas, acting head of the European Commission Representation in Estonia, said on Smorževskihh-Smirnova's receipt of the award.
"Narva Museum director Maria Smorževskihh-Smirnova has championed European values and boldly expressed her views regarding Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine," Schank-Lukas continued. "Courage, belief in oneself and a forward-looking perspective are exactly what we need right now."
Main Image: A poster set up on the Russia-facing wall of the Hermann Castle in Narva on May 9, 2025. Source: Sergei Mihhailov/ERR