Canadian speedskater Brittany Schussler, who took advantage of her proximity to Russian President Putin to snap a selfie has come under heavy criticism - for posing with a 'dictator'.

Russian president Vladimir Putin stopped by the USA and Canada Houses in Sochi on Friday, drawing plenty of attention from smartphone-wielding athletes.

One of them was Schussler who later tweeted the picture to her followers with the message "I should've asked him to be my Valentine," but was soon met with strong criticism.

Enough criticism that Schussler felt compelled to delete the tweet and explain herself to a Canadian newspaper.

Schussler's clarification did not do much for some people:

 

@bschussler @WinnipegNews Is there room for humor with the loss of rights for any group? Rather like posing for a photo opp with Hitler.

— Cowboy Counsellor (@RGMatthewsCBT) February 15, 2014

 

Schussler wasn't the only one drawing flak as plenty leveled heat at the USA and Canadian Houses for putting politics aside and welcoming Putin in the name of sport. ("Good luck, except in hockey," Putin reportedly said during his Canadian visit.)

She did, however, become one of the biggest targets for people who don't approve of hobnobbing with someone with Putin's human rights record.