Photo of Obama Holding 'Vodka Shot in Russia' With 'Hilarious' Look on His Face Surfaces on Reddit

While some netizens seemed amused by Obama’s appearance in the image in question, there were also those who suggested that the 44th POTUS “has a much better and down to earth personality than many other presidents”.

Former US President Barack Obama has recently gained quite a bit of attention online thanks to a Reddit post featuring a photo of him from over a decade and a half ago.

The image in question, captioned “Obama socialising in Russia (2005)” and upvoted about 3.9 thousands times, shows Obama and US Senator Richard Lugar in the company of several other men (only Obama’s and Lugar’s faces are seen clearly), raising glasses filled with clear liquid, possibly alcohol.

An NYT article from 2008, however, mentions that during Obama’s trip to Russia in 2005, the man who would become the 44th President of the United States actually “priggishly requested that his vodka shot glass be filled with water”.

“This picture is odd, it’s like he’s both really out of place but also fitting right in,” one Reddit user remarked, with another responding that something seemed “off” and suggesting that “some photoshopping” might have been involved.

“That look on Obama's face. Hilarious,” quipped yet another user, netting themselves the following reply: “Maybe it's cause they gave him a glass of straight vodka.”

“He looks like he's just been told that 'this is our culture, you must drink the vodka' and he doesn't wanna disrespect their culture but they are really just yanking his chain and are trying to get him all jacked up and he knows it,” a Reddit user speculated.

And one person also argued that Obama “has a much better and down to earth personality than many other presidents.”

In 2005, Obama, then a US senator, and Lugar visited Russia and toured the sites where nuclear warheads were stored prior to their destruction under the auspices of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program.