Pokemon Go: "A Western plot to destabilize Russia from within".

MOSCOW — From pro-Kremlin politicians to Cossacks, many Russians are convinced that the wildly popular Pokemon Go smartphone app is either a cunning Western plot to destabilize Russia or the spawn of Satan.

And quite possibly both.

“There is a feeling that the devil came through this mechanism and is simply trying to destroy us spiritually from within,” Franz Klintsevich, a senior Russian security official, told the state news agency TASS.

Although Pokemon Go by Nintendo has not received an official release in Russia, many people have downloaded the app by adjusting their smartphone settings. Popular sites for “catching” the game’s garish “pocket monsters” include Red Square, the territory of the city’s landmark Hotel Ukrainia and other areas in central Moscow.

Mr. Klintsevich, vice chairman of Russia’s Committee on Security and Defense of the upper house of parliament, also expressed concerns that the augmented reality game is a Western “psychological operation” that could be used to manipulate the minds of young people.

“Users of mobile devices with this game installed on it could become unsuspecting accomplices in terrorist acts,” read an official complaint that Communist Party lawmaker Denis Voronenkov sent to the Federal Security Service.

Mr. Voronenkov also said Pokemon Go was developed by the CIA to carry out “uninterrupted spying activities” in Russia.

Source.

World Nintendomination?

I thought it was a Chinese government backdoor program. Which is it?

I'm not surprised that they are concerned. There are people here in the US that swear that Pokémon Go was created by the NSA to help them spy on the public, totally ignoring all of the other, easier ways it would be possible.

So this is the twist they give in Russian. Nice, sounds cooler than the NSA one.

It's a conspiracy. Get your tinfoil hats!

But Pokemon is Japanese. :/

I thought that most Russian and Chinese people don't believe in conspiracy theories. It was mostly a USA/UK thing.

It's like there is a race to the asylum. North Korea, Russia, or Turkey? Maybe Greece should be on that list, too? Haven't heard anything funny from Greece for a while now. They will be disqualified if they won't do something soon.

@samanthademeste: Russians don't believe in conspiracy theories? The same country where people were convinced flight MH17 was filled with dead bodies and then shot down by the US in an attempt to blame Russia? Yeah, nah, they don't believe in conspiracies over there.

It's Japanese.

Therefore it's EASTERN!?!?!

Came in here to say this. Like... what?