‘Russia has recognised Narva in Estonia as a ‘people’s republic’’: this claim by Frederik Vansina, Chief of Staff of the Belgian Armed Forces, in an interview with Francophone daily Le Soir caused a stir at the Russian Embassy in Brussels. The claim is incorrect but has nevertheless taken on a life of its own after online trolls disseminated it. Meanwhile, the false claim is causing tensions in the real world, not least in the region concerned.
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‘Russia has recognised Narva in Estonia as a people’s republic’: how a false claim has embarrassed Belgium’s Chief of Defence
Colin Clapson
Published:
On Sunday 19 April, the Russian Embassy in Brussels posted a message on X regarding an interview with Belgian Chief of the Defence Staff Frederik Vansina that appeared in daily Le Soir on 17 April. The Russian Embassy is angry, in particular about a passage referring to the Russian Federation's alleged recognition of a ‘People’s Republic of Narva’ in Estonia.
This reminds many people of the ‘people’s republics’ in Donetsk and Luhansk, which declared independence in 2014. This ultimately contributed to Russia’s decision for a further invasion of Ukraine.
Estonia is a member of NATO, the western military alliance. If the Russian Federation were to recognise a ‘people’s republic’ on Estonian territory, this would inevitably lead to a conflict between Russia and NATO.
‘Defence Chief spreads fear’
“In this interview, the general decided to spread fear among Europeans by claiming that Russia had recognised the ‘People’s Republic of Narva’ in Estonia,” writes the Russian embassy in Brussels.
But a ‘People’s Republic of Narva’ does not exist and has not been recognised by the Russian Federation.
It is a fictitious state centred on an Estonian town on the border with Russia, with a predominantly Russian-speaking population. A Russian disinformation campaign, which began with jokes on social media channel Telegram, led to the town making the headlines and even being mentioned by the Belgian Chief of Defence Staff in an interview.
What exactly did Gen Vansina say?
The fact that this story has real-world implications is clear from the interview that the Belgian Chief of the Defence Staff Gen Vansina gave to Le Soir, which has so angered the Russian embassy. Is the accusation that he said the Russian Federation recognises the People’s Republic of Narva correct? The online version of the interview does indeed contain a sentence that reads: “They have just recognised the ‘People’s Republic of Narva’ in Estonia.”
That is indeed how it reads, but the Belgian Ministry of Defence now says that Vansina meant something different.
In a response to VRT NEWS, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence says that there is no information regarding formal recognition of a People’s Republic of Narva by the Russian Federation. “The recognition of the People’s Republic of Narva (by certain channels in Russia) was cited by Vansina as an example of a threat, alongside the other threats mentioned [...]. During the interview, the Narva element was raised solely from the perspective of ‘threat’.”
What is certain: the story shows how disinformation, even on a small scale, can itself become a weapon. The Estonian authorities watched with dismay as a fake story rapidly translated into real unrest and threatening narratives in the media.