Team USA athletes take sneaky selfies with Vladimir Putin

Earlier today, Russina President Vladimir Putin stopped by the USA House in Sochi, briefly visiting the headquarters of the American team. So what did some of the athletes do? The same thing you'd do in any such situation—shoot a sneaky selfie with Putin in the background!

A number of Team USA athletes, including lugers Preston Grifall and Chris Mazdzer took advantage of the visit to snap a shot. They weren't the only ones to get involved, a consultant for the firm Deloitte named Lauren Boas Hayes also got in on the action.

These are all part of the #sochiselfie Twitter tag, which has seen many athletes taking selfies around the Olympic village, and posing with their medals. And while these photos are obviously taken in jest, and in the spirit of international camaraderie that characterizes the Olympics—a selfie isn't always so simple. In fact, a number of French journalists just landed in hot water for taking selfies in the Oval Office with President Obama in the background.

So if you see a famous politician and want to get a photo with them, maybe a sports event is more appropriate than a famous political venue.

Just hanging out at the USA house in #Sochi with Putin! No big deal! #sochiselfie @NBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/mXAegXtlza

— Preston Griffall (@prestongriffall) February 14, 2014

Sochi selfie with Putin #sochiselfie @NBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/hanViOW4D1

— Chris Mazdzer (@mazdzer) February 14, 2014

Selfie with Putin at USA House!! #SochiSelfie #Putin #USA #ValentinesDay #DinnerDate #Sochi2014 pic.twitter.com/DTTrC8lmOJ

— Life at Deloitte (@lifeatdeloitte) February 14, 2014

(via Mashable)