According to the old saying, you can choose your friends but not your neighbors. The people of Narva in Estonia will have felt the weight of those words this weekend, watching as Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner group first marched on Moscow and then pulled back.

One man told CGTN he was happy for the river separating the two countries.

"It is what it is, the people at the top over there fighting amongst one another, as long as we don't end up caught up in it."

An older resident was concerned that if the conflict in Ukraine or instability in Russia worsens, it may have consequences for him.

"The fact is we are Russian citizens living here in Estonia, we worry that if there are any problems, they could send us across to the other side of the river to Russia."

Others said they were rooting for the Wagner chief as he bore down on Moscow: "We understand what type of guy Prigozhin is, but the fact that he had intentions to take down Putin, we were inspired. We had hope, because the entire world is suffering."

Narva is about two-and-a-half hours drive from St Petersburg, Russia's 'northern capital' and the HQ of Wagner Group. In normal times the bridge here was one of the busiest crossings between the EU and Russia. Now travel into the EU is banned for most Russians, while going the other way into Russia comes with added security checks and around a six-hour wait.

Narva's 15th-century castle, built by the Teutonic Knights, is one of a number of tourist attractions that used to bring visitors to the city.

Hotel manager Vladimir Aret told CGTN how people here were gripped by the news on Saturday.

"This news for us was a shock – with two elements," he said. "One: Fear, because we are located very close to Russia. But on the other hand, there was a hope that it will lead to some changes in the politics of Russia."

Aret went on to explain that tourism is feeling the pinch from Russia and across the EU.

"All the politics and changes have a huge effect on travel and tourism," he says. "It is especially complicated for us at the border, as we are right next to Russia. This border is closed to all Russian tourists, and the majority of Europeans are afraid to come to Estonia and especially to this border town."

Narva is Estonia's third largest city, with just under 54,000 people – and strong links to its giant neighbor to the east: 87 percent of the population are ethnic Russians, and Russian is the predominant language spoken.

People are somewhat relaxed when it comes to any security risk – Estonia is an EU member state and also part of NATO – but the impact of the Ukraine conflict and last weekend's events are certainly being felt here.

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