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Steven Seagal Is Hanging Out With Vladimir Putin in Russia Because This Is Just What Happens Now

U.S. actor Steven Seagal and Russian President Vladimir Putin are seen visiting Sambo-70, a Russian martial art and combat sport school, March 13, 2013 in Moscow, Russia.
Rodmanning. Photo: Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images

Steven Seagal and Vladimir Putin had lunch and watched a judo competition today in Moscow, barely a week after Dennis Rodman took in a basketball game with Kim Jong-un. It appears, however, that Seagal wasn’t merely trying to capitalize on the trend of American G-list celebrities hanging out with dictators. (And yes, Putin is pretty much a dictator.)

Putin and Seagal have long been friends, and they regularly meet each other,” Putin’s spokesman says.

Nevertheless, the days when a washed-up action star could visit an oppressive world leader without anyone noticing are long gone, which means it’s only a matter of time before Sly Stallone goes fishing with Robert Mugabe.

Seagal Hangs With Putin in Russia