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00:00:16Good evening, you're watching Narva Studio People Matter, and I'm your host,
00:00:20Mikhail Komashko. Today, we'll talk about anxieties and
00:00:24fears in the face of the threat of war.
00:00:26Surprisingly, according to a recent study, the fear of a possible
00:00:30Russian attack in Estonia is lowest precisely here, in Narva, in the
00:00:34Northeast. But
00:00:37why? Aren't we reading newspapers? What do the
00:00:40residents of the border town truly feel? Do
00:00:43we have answers to basic questions, like what to do
00:00:47if the threat becomes real? The Rescue Department has
00:00:50taught us for 10 years to have provisions for a week, but
00:00:54that's not about war. Who is truly responsible for our
00:00:57anxieties and preparedness? We'll
00:01:00discuss all this with our studio guests in just a few minutes, right
00:01:04after the news
00:01:04summary.
00:01:10Curfew in Ivangorod, increased border
00:01:13control, talks about possible scenarios for
00:01:16Narva. And so the topic of security has returned to
00:01:19everyday conversations. At the same time, studies show
00:01:23that residents of Idaviruma are less afraid of a Russian
00:01:27military attack than others. So, how calm
00:01:30does the border town feel, and most importantly, do people
00:01:34understand what to do if the hypothetical threat
00:01:36ever becomes real? Evgenia
00:01:39Parv investigated.
00:01:44There is no direct military threat to Narva today. This
00:01:47is emphasized at the state and local
00:01:50levels. But crisis preparedness begins long before it
00:01:54happens. The border town is preparing for different scenarios
00:01:58and already knows its weak points.
00:02:00What don't you have? We don't have
00:02:03a gas station with a generator. The closest one
00:02:06is Jõhvi. That's a big problem. We've already started
00:02:10solving it. Who, who of the
00:02:13oil suppliers agrees? Is it Alexela or
00:02:16is it any
00:02:19other oil, Neste
00:02:23or other suppliers, to build
00:02:26a new gas station there.
00:02:41Another problem is shelters. There aren't enough of them in Narva, as
00:02:45in other Estonian cities, yet. But the Rescue Department
00:02:48warns that in case of sudden danger, look for a designated
00:02:52public shelter.
00:02:56In such a sudden situation, when we have
00:03:05only in
00:03:08case of a national emergency, in such a case, public shelter
00:03:12owners have 72 hours to prepare it for
00:03:16use. Therefore, in case of sudden danger, it's better to assume
00:03:19that you have thought in advance where exactly you
00:03:22can take shelter, because there will be little
00:03:26time in such a situation.
00:03:44The same principle applies to a more serious crisis. The
00:03:47state helps first and foremost those who are unable to cope
00:03:51independently. The less
00:03:55you need help from the state or
00:03:58local government, the more.
00:04:30Does the state have a plan in case the crisis
00:04:33ceases to be hypothetical and becomes our reality?
00:04:36Of course, there are detailed plans, of course,
00:04:40there are resources for this, of course, there are people who work
00:04:44on this every day. In Estonia, several exercises
00:04:47have already been conducted on this matter. We have many, many people
00:04:51who participate, for example, in Kaitseliit or in other
00:04:55organizations where they are ready to
00:04:57help other citizens of our
00:05:01country. We have local governments that
00:05:04understand what they must do, including,
00:05:08for example, those
00:05:10local governments that are located in the western part of Estonia
00:05:14understand that in
00:05:16such a black scenario they will,
00:05:18of course, have to prepare for people
00:05:22who will come, for example, from border regions and
00:05:26move towards Western Estonia. We
00:05:30have all of this, and it develops with
00:05:33each, with each month, with each year, this
00:05:37system will become more robust
00:05:40and stable. danger always sounds
00:05:44sharper. The border is near, but readiness does not mean
00:05:47constantly living in expectation of war. It means
00:05:50understanding in advance what to do if the situation suddenly
00:05:54changes. Evgenia Parv and Artemy
00:05:57Famin. Narva Studio People
00:05:59Matter.
00:06:04At the Narva care home on the evening of October 6, an elderly woman
00:06:08died in a fire. The fire started in the smoking room.
00:06:42even if the client has a desire, yes, there, well,
00:06:46we have clients who smoke
00:06:49often, that is, then they will go out to
00:06:53the inner courtyard, then through video cameras,
00:06:57the security guard, the administrator will see what
00:07:00is happening with this or that client. On
00:07:03October 8, Tatyana Stolfot was dismissed from the position of
00:07:06head of the social work center, but the employment
00:07:09contract was terminated for other reasons, and this is not related
00:07:13to the tragic incident. The
00:07:15Narva budget this year is proposed to be increased by another 4
00:07:18million euros. The forecast for income tax
00:07:22revenue from individuals is increased by
00:07:241,450,000,
00:07:27based on the budget execution for the first 8 months.
00:07:30The city plans to borrow another 2.5 million for
00:07:34investments. First of all, it is worth noting the project for
00:07:37the construction of a separate storm sewer system in the old city,
00:07:41which is 2 million euros, and the project for the construction
00:07:44of a new kindergarten in the Kreenholm area, 273,000
00:07:48euros. Additional funds are also provided for
00:07:51the utility costs of city institutions, benefits for
00:07:55families, tree care, and repairs of children's sports
00:07:58grounds. The reading of the additional budget is scheduled for the
00:08:01session on October 13. After the changes,
00:08:04Narva's budget will be approximately 137 million
00:11:31system has started being tested. The water is directed into an underground
00:11:34tank, from where firefighters can take
00:11:37water if needed. We don't have
00:11:40the possibility for firefighters
00:11:43to draw
00:11:47water for firefighting.
00:11:50And, uh, with this solution.
00:12:25seasons in autumn, winter and spring, to understand
00:12:28if there is enough water in the reservoir. For residents,
00:12:31this is also important because the lack of water for
00:12:35firefighting previously hindered the approval of house
00:13:10of the program: possible threats and anxieties in Narva. We
00:13:14asked the city's residents if they feel
00:13:17safe today and how much the events
00:13:20around them affect their daily
00:13:22lives.
00:13:26I don't know what the situation is, it
00:13:29has always been unstable everywhere,
00:13:32yes. I feel
00:13:34normal,
00:13:36I'm not afraid of anything. And what gives you confidence,
00:13:40the feeling of being safe? I give it to myself, not the
00:13:44state, nothing at all.
00:13:47Many people are very worried, what would you advise
00:13:50them?
00:13:52I don't advise anyone anything, maybe read fewer news? I don't even know
00:13:56what's happening in the world, if anything.
00:13:59I live in my own world, a good, kind one. That's all. Recently,
00:14:03it's as if the situation is
00:14:06tense, people are starting to talk more often
00:14:10about an enemy coming here, or rather,
00:14:13there will be some war and so on, and that's a bit stressful, because
00:14:17why are people
00:14:21starting to spread it? Excuse me? What
00:14:24are you doing to maintain
00:14:27calm? Basically nothing,
00:14:31I just continue to live, do my own thing, try not
00:14:34to pay attention to all these provocations. Well, do you
00:14:38still feel anxious? Maybe a little, because I'm military
00:14:41obligated, I was in the army and yes.
00:14:44Yes. Here, yes, I feel
00:14:48safe,
00:14:51because we feel protected.
00:15:25I read very little, because
00:15:28to sleep peacefully.
00:15:31No, I don't follow what, why, how much,
00:15:35and where, no. Well...
00:16:0720 years ago. And how old were you 20 years
00:16:10ago? Not at all, I wasn't even born yet. How do you
00:16:14know what happened 20 years ago? No, well, in principle, overall,
00:16:17based on such feelings,
00:16:19based on
00:16:22that,
00:16:25on such feelings that it used to be better.
00:16:29Do you have any feeling of anxiety because of this situation in
00:16:32the world? Not
00:16:35particularly. And you said,
00:16:37what if, what if, what did you mean?
00:16:41Well, what if everything doesn't get resolved, what
00:16:44if a war
00:16:48does start, what if this war isn't
00:16:52just a local conflict, what if this is a new world
00:16:56war?
00:17:01And we move on to the discussion in the studio. Let me introduce our guests:
00:17:04an employee of the Prevention Bureau of the Rescue Department, good
00:17:08evening, good evening. And journalist of the Northern Coast, Ilya Smirnov. Ilya,
00:17:11good evening. Good evening. I'll warn you right away, we've known each other for a long time, so it'll be easier for us to address each other informally,
00:17:23two respondents have a very low
00:17:25level of anxiety, and the reason for this is that they don't
00:17:29really read the news. So we decided to ask you if you agree with the
00:17:33principle "the less you know, the better you sleep" when it comes to the threat
00:17:37of war: yes or no. You can send messages to the
00:17:41phone number you see on your screens. The messages themselves
00:17:44are free, so please send them. Also, in two
00:17:48Facebook groups, "Narva as it is" and
00:17:51"My Narva," there's a post about this program. We're also
00:17:54monitoring comments there. In both groups, there are already over 50
00:17:57comments. People evaluate our program itself,
00:18:01the topic, and the anxiety of the threat very differently. But I would like
00:18:05to immediately state, as a disclaimer, that we are not military experts
00:18:09here, and to warn viewers that
00:18:13we will not be discussing the probability of war, or from which
00:18:16front, or from which direction it might start. We are
00:18:19Narvans, we work in different fields, and we are specialists
00:18:22in Narva, in Narvans. So, let's talk about whether Narva really
00:18:25isn't afraid of war. There was
00:18:29a September study, a September
00:18:31study commissioned by the Government Office, and
00:18:34indeed, to the question of...
00:18:41considers it probable, for example, in central Estonia
00:18:4437%, so there's quite a big difference.
00:18:47Do you have a version as to
00:18:51why this is so? Do you agree with the results of the study that people in Narva are not
00:18:54anxious? Edgar?
00:18:56First, I would like to correct the words of the
00:19:00mayor of Narva, Ants, what he just said, that
00:19:03the closest, so to speak, emergency gas station is located from Narva
00:19:07in Jõhvi. In fact, the closest is in Narva-Jõesuu, well,
00:19:11there are also some in Jõhvi, but the closest to Narva is in Narva-Jõesuu. Regarding
00:19:14the anxiety
00:19:17of the residents of Narva, and not only Narva,
00:19:19I can't give a clear answer,
00:19:23whether someone is afraid or not afraid. I would say this concerns
00:19:27awareness. If a person knows what can
00:19:30happen, how to behave in a specific
00:19:33situation, and I would like to clarify specifically not
00:19:36only about... situations, I would like to say that we are talking about general crisis
00:19:40situations and specifically about what I would call the term
00:19:44"civil crisis." This also applies if something stops working,
00:19:48if it's not military, then civilian, yes, a crisis. But in your environment, do you
00:19:51notice anxiety, that people are talking about war and
00:19:55asking if it will happen or not? People usually, well, they don't
00:19:58discuss it so openly in our city in general, but
00:20:02they ask specifically about civil crisis, about what
00:20:06might happen to us. And how will it affect our lives? This
00:20:09might be related to military themes, but usually, in
00:20:13most cases, it's a civil crisis.
00:20:16Ilya, in your circle, is there anxiety?
00:20:20Yes, there is anxiety, and I suppose that the results of the survey, the
00:20:24numbers that you mentioned, are not quite
00:20:27correct. I assume that for some
00:20:31reason, it's difficult for people to be
00:20:34honest when answering such questions. I suspect that...
00:21:20those with small, medium,
00:21:23and slightly older children,
00:21:27mhm, these
00:21:30are people who are likely connected
00:21:33to state service, rescue service, or military service, those
00:21:37who will be affected by their work first and foremost by any kind
00:21:40of crises, civilian crises or military crises, that is
00:21:44precisely such people,
00:21:47who are obliged to care for their loved ones, first and foremost
00:21:51children, and those people who are obliged to care for society as
00:21:54a whole, these are civil servants. And I would probably add that
00:21:58there are many different groups, some, even if you look at the comments in
00:22:02those publications I mentioned, there is such
00:22:05a group of people who write that "we are not worried, because Russia will never
00:22:09attack, because Russia has never attacked, and Russia only
00:22:12defends itself." Well, it's clear where these narratives come from, and these are Kremlin
00:22:16narratives. There is a group that says "we shouldn't talk about it at all,"
00:22:20"we should talk about it," "no need to worry." There is a group that is not
00:22:23worried because "we have our own problems, we have heating
00:22:27prices, we have low salaries, unemployment, and so on, we don't have
00:22:30time to worry about global crises." There is a group of
00:22:32fatalists who say, "no matter how much I plan, it will still
00:22:36go differently." Or my favorite
00:22:39comment: "I don't care, I've lived my life." This
00:22:42is such a discrepancy of opinions and general readiness,
00:22:46anxiety, awareness.
00:22:49Even the rescue service. Do you see this as a problem, that
00:22:52people seemingly don't know about possible
00:22:55threats? Yes, this is precisely a part of a big
00:22:59problem, namely awareness,
00:23:01part of, specifically, so to speak, my job, my department,
00:23:05bureau, is to raise awareness so that people
00:23:08know what a shelter is, what to do
00:23:12if an order comes that one needs to take shelter. There was also a rather
00:23:15amusing comment that a woman is sleeping,
00:23:18came,
00:23:27and that's why we exist, we provide free training in different languages, at any time we can
00:23:31come, you can invite us to your company, to a housing
00:23:34association, to a school, to a university, and we will conduct the training
00:23:38and talk about these topics. If a person basically doesn't know
00:23:42what to do, then he will indeed panic, because
00:23:46he won't know what to do, how to behave in case of a threat. For this,
00:23:50there is, so to speak, our department, so that we can come to the place,
00:23:53explain and show that there are certain specific steps
00:23:56that need to be taken. How well do Narvans know what to do in
00:24:00case of different crises? We will definitely talk about this later. But yes,
00:24:03regarding this discrepancy, in your opinion, is it a problem that in
00:24:06Narva there is such a different attitude towards the
00:24:09threat itself, towards the topic, "what if Russia attacks"? I think
00:24:13these groups, or as you described
00:24:17different qualities of these. I think in reality these qualities
00:24:21are present in every person, just in different
00:24:24proportions, in each person a different opinion
00:24:28simply prevails. But such doubts that you listed,
00:24:31I think they plague many people, well, all
00:24:34people. But generally, so to speak, there is no
00:24:37such discrepancy, in fact all these qualities, all these
00:24:41thoughts are present in all people. But there is an assumption that in Narva,
00:24:44everything is very difficult with, let's say, the unity
00:24:48of the media space - it seems we all live in the same city,
00:24:51but the sources of information are very different, and therefore the
00:24:54attitude towards possible threats is different. Is this a problem
00:24:58of media literacy or media
00:25:01uniformity?
00:25:04Frankly, I don't see any problem with that. Sooner
00:25:06or later, at some important moment, the news will reach
00:25:10everyone. No, well, that's in case something happens. Okay, so if you
00:25:14compared or weighed those people who are not
00:25:17afraid, because they trust...
00:26:32percent of people, they, so to speak, if we take the example of evacuation,
00:26:36they will foresee leaving their city or
00:26:39place of residence. 30% of people will wait for official instructions, and
00:26:4330% of people will remain where they are. So,
00:26:46if we are talking about evacuation, it's also important to understand
00:26:50how it happens, that you need to wait for an official
00:26:53order from the government, that, well,
00:26:56a large-scale or some other evacuation is starting. If the government, so
00:27:00to speak, is unable or incapable of giving this order, this order is then given by
00:27:03the rescue department. In that case, people should understand
00:27:07what evacuation is, where we will go, what to take
00:27:10with us, and we also explain this. That is, these are not
00:27:14specific courses on civil, so to speak,
00:27:17defense. These are precisely training courses on civil
00:27:20protection, covering everything, not just military topics. This
00:27:24applies to general crises, such as a gas leak, flooding, which happened in Järva recently,
00:27:28there was also, so to speak, a partial evacuation there. So it's not
00:27:32like...
00:29:02this is what, so to speak, people discuss. But you know that
00:29:0530% will still run, well, this is, so to speak, some kind of, I'm not saying it's
00:29:09official information, there are statistics, it's generally discussed that I can
00:29:13say about the warning system, it's called Aalarm,
00:29:17and yes, as Mikhail already mentioned, it's
00:29:19both radio and television, there will be a red scrolling
00:29:23line, but there are also other options, first of all, we have
00:29:26sirens, we have SMS alerts, and also what I would like to
00:29:29say is that we will soon have a new system, it will be
00:29:32Procel, a system that works on the phone, it will
00:29:36make itself known, so to speak, with vibration, and
00:29:39sound, and a flashlight. That is, if we receive an SMS
00:29:43alert that something is happening, then if your phone is silent
00:29:46and you are sleeping at night, then it won't help. In fact, it also
00:29:50happened to me, once at night I was sleeping and woke up in the morning and there was already
00:29:54a whole list of messages. Therefore, I would also
00:29:57like to take the opportunity, so to speak, to advertise that yes, soon we
00:30:01will have an alternative. a new solution, that notifications will
00:30:04be sent to the phone with all these, this is one of the problems with these
00:30:07notifications, that people often said, but again, you
00:30:11already, you already gave this example, the woman read,
00:30:14"take cover." "What will I cover myself with? A blanket, really?" It's a funny joke, but
00:30:18if it's a serious situation, then it's a rather scary moment, because
00:30:21people don't understand how to interpret these
00:30:24warnings. Ilya, well, I think when we made different materials, and you
00:30:28made different materials about testing sirens and testing these.
00:30:52where it said that this is a test, you don't need to do anything, what the instructions will be, we don't know yet, but there were drone
00:30:54threats. And stay vigilant?