The Canadian government is advising its citizens to refrain from visiting Russia and to leave the country as soon as possible amid the impacts of the Russian military operations in Ukraine.

"Avoid all travel to Russia due to the impacts of the armed conflict with Ukraine, including limited flight options and restrictions on financial transactions. If you are in Russia, you should leave while commercial means are still available," the Canadian government said in a Saturday travel advisory.

Last week, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics appealed for help in defending themselves against the Kiev forces.

Russia said that the aim of its special operation is to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine and that only military infrastructure is being targeted. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it has no plans to occupy Ukraine.

In response to Russia's operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow which includes airspace closures and restrictive measures targeting Russian officials and financial institutions.

On Saturday, both Visa and Mastercard announced that they were suspending operations in Russia and that their cards issued by Russian banks will no longer work outside the country.