Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) announced that he had cosponsored a congressional resolution urging the International Criminal Court to prosecute Russian President Vladimir Putin if Ukraine’s head of state is harmed during war.

In a statement, Brooks likened Putin and his actions to those of Adolf Hitler and other notorious dictators throughout history. The congressman declared that “one scratch” on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should result in Putin being prosecuted as a war criminal.

“Vladimir Putin is an evil dictator. He has a long track record of poisoning and imprisoning political opponents. He has viciously brought war to the peaceful Ukrainian people,” stated Brooks. “He’s a tyrant akin to the worst in world history such as the murderous Adolph Hitler, Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, and Pol Pot. The United States and freedom-loving nations worldwide must confront him as such. If his vicious, unprovoked attack on Ukraine results in one scratch on Ukrainian President Zelensky, Putin should be charged with war crimes and brought to justice.”

Brooks asserted that Putin should face “stiff consequences” over the ongoing invasion and indicated that the Russian citizenry should remove the former Soviet agent from power.

“History teaches us that dictators are emboldened when freedom-loving countries do nothing to confront them,” added Brooks. “Putin must face stiff consequences for his diabolical actions or he’ll continue wreaking havoc. I support making life as hellish as possible for Putin and his oligarchical cronies, and I urge the Russian people to bravely stand up and do what America regularly does: replace our political leaders. Putin has terrorized long enough.”

Brooks joined U.S. Reps. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville), Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) and Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) in cosponsoring the resolution.

Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL