Russia issues in-absentia arrest warrant for Narva Museum director

  • 2025-01-20
  • BNS/TBT Staff

TALLINN - The Moscow Basmanny District Court has issued an in-absentia arrest warrant for Maria Smorževskihh-Smirnova, director of the Narva Museum, the Rus.Postimees Russian-language portal of the daily Postimees reports, citing the Russian independent media outlet Mediazona.

A criminal case has been initiated against Smorževskihh-Smirnova for allegedly spreading "false information" about the Russian military with a group of individuals and for political motives. The details of the charges and the identities of others involved in the said group are unknown. The court hearing took place in mid-January.

Smorževskihh-Smirnova has been on the Russian Interior Ministry's wanted list since the summer of 2024. In a comment to Rus.Postimees, she stated that she learned of her arrest in absentia from colleagues and has no intention of returning to Russia, as it has been impossible for her to do so since the war began.

The Narva Museum is located in the medieval castle in the northeastern Estonian border city of Narva. For the past two years, a poster with bloodstains and the words "Putin -- war criminal" has been displayed on its wall. This can be seen from across the river in the Russian town of Ivangorod. Russian border guards demanded that the poster be removed, but Estonian authorities refused.

This action followed the installation of a screen by Ivangorod authorities in 2023 on Narva's promenade that broadcast a Victory Day concert featuring the artist Shaman and other Russian propaganda songs.

Smorževskihh-Smirnova was appointed director of the Narva Museum in early 2021. Prior to this, she worked at the Estonian Art Museum and the Tallinn City Museum and led the Russian Museum in Tallinn.