(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) It was revealed that pranksters from Russia’s fourth-largest city of Yekaterinburg have been building snow sculptures of erect penises over the past week, which prompted some residents of the city to call for authorities to crack down on the practice.
The first time the local media spotted a giant snow penis in a public square was on Oct. 30, 2023, outside the Yekaterinburg Opera and Ballet Theater and the Ural State University.
It was also claimed by Svet [“Light” in Russian], a news channel on the messaging app Telegram, that the elaborate sculpture was the work of local students.
Later that evening, municipal workers were spotted removing the sculpture with an excavator.
The appearance of the snow penises was condemned by Yekaterinburg Mayor Alexei Orlov, with him calling the work of the pranksters an “outrage.”
Alexei Bubnov, Orlov’s deputy, also added that the snow penises were a “provocation” that could be classified as an administrative offense “if they offend anyone.” Bubnov also said that law enforcement could get involved if the sculptures continued to appear throughout the city.
On Change.org, a petition was created to call on Yekaterinburg students to stop sculpting the snow penises. As of Nov. 6, 2023, the petition was signed by 56 people.
“Yekaterinburg is a modern and creative city, but why do people allow themselves to dishonor its name and disfigure it with pseudo-creativity? The student flash mob with the construction of snow genitalia has gone beyond reason… This does not make our city look good… Let’s not let the city turn into a d***,” the petition read.
However, the Yekaterinburg Mayor’s Office said that it does not plan a citywide crackdown on the snow sculptures, even though Bubnov previously threatened to involve law enforcement, the Moscow Times reported.
“Utility services clean roads, sidewalks and public areas like parks and squares. There’s no specific duty to search and ‘fight’ snow sculptures,” a spokesperson said.
