The attention stems from a fringe online group flagged by counter-disinformation initiative Propastop. The so-called "Narva People's Republic" project quickly drew more than 1,000 new followers, prompting foreign outlets to head to the border city.

Narva Mayor Katri Raik said she's exhausted by the influx and has stopped giving interviews.

"No one here knows anything about this 'people's republic,'" she said, adding that she felt it was better to turn down interviews than repeat the same message each time. "It's gotten out of hand. There is no such thing here and there won't be, period."

Foreign reporters can be spotted near the border crossing and in Narva city offices. Lithuanian TV journalist Marius Zaremba said the story accelerated his already planned trip to the northeastern Estonian city.

"No, I didn't find it," Zaremba said when asked whether he'd managed to track down the sought-after alleged separatist republic. "We spoke to people and they find the topic amusing, which is strange. And some hadn't even heard of it."

That wasn't even the most important issue on the agenda, however; the Lithuanian journalist said he was more interested in locals' everyday lives, "and their views on the war, Russia and Estonia."

'Locals don't take it seriously'

The latest surge in coverage has brought some business to local tourism operators and fixers, who act as local guides for reporters and arrange interviews.

"I don't even know what to call it — a project, a phenomenon or just someone's idea of a joke," said local journalist and fixer Aleksei Ivanov. "Narva residents don't take it seriously and aren't particularly concerned by it."

Foreign media inquiries are a daily occurrence in Estonia's northeastern border city, but among the more prominent outlets to visit Narva recently are Germany's Deutsche Welle and Bild, with Politico reporters expected next week.

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