Pokemon Go used for espionage on Belarus’ defense bases: Official

Video games are fun, and they are played by people of all ages, however, if the claims made by an official of Belarus’s defense ministry are to be believed then Pokemon GO was also used by spies for espionage.

Alexander Ivanov, the department head of ideological work at Belarus’ defense ministry, made this claim while taking part in a talk show, “Po Suschestvu.”

Ivanov said that the augmented reality (AR) game was showing Pokemon characters at an important air base for Belarus, which could have driven ordinary players and unwanted elements to the sites.

Using these civilians as cover, the spies could have accessed the important military installations and have gotten away with key information, if the official’s claims are to be believed. Or the case might be that ordinary individuals posted photos, details about secret military bases without knowing that they were releasing key information.

“Let’s take the game Pokemon Go, right? It was very popular about 10 years ago. What was the point? All teenagers, children were sitting on some application, you turn on the camera, augmented reality, and look for some rare Pokemon, collect them in a collection,” Ivanov stated, according to a report by CTB News .

The official then went on to add, “Where were there the most Pokemon at that time, what do you think? On the territory of the 50th air base, where the runway is, where there is a lot of military aviation equipment, there were the most Pokemon. Isn’t that intelligence information?”

Pokemon GO launch and popularity

The game was launched in July 2016, and it was developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android devices.

Ever since Pokemon GO launched it became a massive hit with people of all age groups across the globe. According to a report by Statista , it ranks among the leading free-to-play (FTP) gaming titles worldwide, generating over $4 billion in lifetime IAP revenue.

The location-based AR game involves catching, training, and battling virtual creatures in real-world locations using a smartphone.

Although the game’s popularity peaked around 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, it still retains a sizeable user base and continues to be enjoyed by many.

Controversies surrounding the game

It should be taken into consideration that this is not the first time that the game has been accused of aiding spies and others involved in acts of espionage. The Belarus defense ministry official is only of the latest to have accused the game’s purpose and intent.

Belarus is a former member of the Soviet republic (USSR), and still enjoys a good rapport with Russia. The two countries also have a military alliance.

Russian officials had accused the game of being a spying tool for secret services as soon as it was released . Some experts had also warned that it could lead soldiers to post photos or information regarding secret sites on their own, in the quest for finding new Pokemons and this could hurt Moscow’s interests.

Several other countries such as Indonesia, Egypt and others had also arrived at the same conclusion and instead of banning the game, they had warned users to stay away from sensitive sites.

At the peak of its popularity, even the US had to warn players from getting close and inside restricted areas to catch Pokemon characters.

However, it should be taken into consideration that ever since Russia began the war against Ukraine, Pokemon Go has not been available to the people of Belarus and Moscow. This happened due to the game’s owners stopping its usage in a show of solidarity with Kyiv.