Thumbnail image via Flickr user Gage Skidmore
On Thursday, Vladimir Putin officially awarded Russian citizenship to American-born martial arts badass and friend of the animals Steven Seagal, Reuters reports.The 90s action star has a long history of friendship with the Russian leader, apparently sparked by their mutual love of martial arts. Seagal has previously called Putin "one of the great living world leaders" who he considers a "brother.""[Steven Seagal] has been insistent for a long time in asking to be granted Russian citizenship," a spokesman for Putin said, according to AP. "He is known for his warm feelings to our country, he never made a secret of it, and he's also a well-known actor, which gave grounds to make him a Russian citizen."This isn't the first time Putin has handed out citizenship to foreign celebrities he likes. Back in 2013, French actor Gerard Depardieu was granted a Russian passport after railing against France's tax rates for millionaires. Former US heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. was given citizenship in the country last year as well.Now that Seagal is an official Russian citizen, the country can probably look forward to his shredding guitar solos for years to come.Read: Steven Seagal Is the Lamest Guy Ever