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.

By
Hayes Brown
by Hayes Brown

BuzzFeed News World Editor

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.

Mike Coppola / Getty Images

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.

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.

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.

Тот самый Мартин @martin_camera

На набережной в Екатеринбурге появился гигантский покебол

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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.