As every player in the NFL knows, it's not easy to get your hands on a Super Bowl ring. If you want a ring, you either have to play for the team that wins the Super Bowl -- or you can do what Vladimir Putin did, and just steal it.

That's right, you read that correctly: The president of Russia has a 'hot' Super Bowl ring.

It all started in 2005, when Patriots owner Robert Kraft was in Russia with Sandy Weill, a friend who was the president of Citi group at the time of the trip. Kraft had just received his ring for the Pats' win in Super Bowl XXXIX, so he decided to show the ring to Weill.

After seeing it, Weill had what turned out to be a horrible idea: "Show the ring to Putin."

Kraft actually did an interview about the ring for an episode of NFL Films' upcoming series called 50 Rings, 50 Days , so we'll let him finish the story.

Robert Kraft only has 3 of his 4 SB Rings. Vladimir Putin has the other. How did this happen? #TheRingIsTheThinghttps://t.co/MZSpduo6SC — NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2017

Basically, Kraft is now down a ring, and he's likely never going to see it again.

The Patriots owner actually recounted the story for the first time back in 2013, and during that interview, he offered a few more details.

"I took out the ring and showed it to [Putin], and he put it on and he goes, 'I can kill someone with this ring,'" Kraft said in 2013. "I put my hand out and he put it in his pocket, and three KGB guys got around him and walked out."

Despite the fact that Putin walked off with the ring, Kraft still wanted the $25,000 piece of jewelry returned. However, he ended up giving up on his quest to get the ring back when White House called and told Kraft that starting World War III over a Super Bowl ring probably wouldn't be the best idea.

"It would really be in the best interest of US-Soviet relations if you meant to give the ring as a present," Kraft said he was told on the White House call in 2005. "I really didn't [want to]. I had an emotional tie to the ring, it has my name on it. I don't want to see it on eBay. There was a pause on the other end of the line, and the voice repeated, 'It would really be in the best interest if you meant to give the ring as a present.'"

Days later, a statement came from Kraft, and all of the sudden, the owner's stolen Super Bowl ring was now officially a "gift" to Russia.

"I decided to give him the ring as a symbol of the respect and admiration that I have for the Russian people and the leadership of President Putin," Kraft's 2005 statement said.

The good news for Kraft is that he's now friends with the president of the United States, which means it might be time to call in a favor: Hey Donald, can you please get my Super Bowl ring back?