There Is Now A Giant Poké Ball Chilling In The Middle Of A Russian City
The mayor of the city said that he didn't see anything wrong with the new monument to being the very best, like no one ever was.
As the rest of the world has begun to enjoy the delightful addiction that is Pokémon Go, for better or worse, Russia has been feeling decidedly left out.
There's no official release for the game in the country yet, but there's already been a bunch of handwringing from officials who are worried about the game's potential influence on the youth. That includes the Russian Orthodox Church being concerned about the game's addictive qualities and the state's consumer watchdog has been ordered to investigate the game's “possible harmful psychological effects.”
Possibly to help lessen the pain, some anonymous kind soul in the city of Yekaterinburg transformed a granite ball near the city's theater into a huge Poké Ball on Monday.
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It's not the first time that the 3-foot-wide ball has been transformed — previously it's morphed into an Angry Bird and a huge eyeball.
According to local media, the mayor of the city is pretty cool with the fact that his city now is home to a memorial to being the very best, like no one ever was.
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"I do not see anything wrong with that," Mayor Yevgeny Roizman said. "People love to play and thus express their emotions. If the art isn't annoying anyone, it is worth it."
Roizman, who isn't the Kremlin's favorite person, also said that the statue will probably be cleaned off again in time for the city's annual local holiday on Aug. 18.
На набережной в Екатеринбурге появился гигантский покебол
Sadly, the mayor did not venture a guess as to what kind of Pokémon could possibly be in the giant capture device.
So if you happen to be in the neighborhood, be sure to go and... catch it while you can.
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Hayes Brown is a world news editor and reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.
Contact Hayes Brown at hayes.brown@buzzfeed.com.
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