Calling for the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin, US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham asked whether there is a Brutus or a "more successful" Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military.

Julius Caesar, a Roman general, was assassinated by Brutus while Colonel Stauffenberg, a German army officer, had attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944.

In a series of tweets, Graham said, "Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military? The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country - and the world - a great service."

He further said, "The only people who can fix this are the Russian people. Easy to say, hard to do. Unless you want to live in darkness for the rest of your life, be isolated from the rest of the world in abject poverty, and live in darkness you need to step up to the plate."

This comes against the backdrop of Russian forces launching military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities.

Several countries including the UK, the US, Canada, and the European Union have condemned Russia's military operations in Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Moscow. These countries have also promised Ukraine to help with military aid to fight Russia.

The US, Canada and European allies agreed to remove key Russian banks from the interbank messaging system, SWIFT which means Russian banks won't be able to communicate securely with banks beyond Russia's borders. President Putin has also signed a decree on special economic measures against the US and its allies.

(With Inputs from ANI)

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