the two self proclaimed separatist republics in Donbas as independent states and made an address concerning the events in Ukraine. Full-scale invasion of Ukraine (2022–present) On 24 February, Putin in a televised address announced a "special military operation" in Ukraine, launching a full-scale invasion of the country. Citing a purpose of "denazification", he claimed to be doing this to protect people in the predominantly Russian-speaking region of Donbas who, according to Putin, faced "humiliation and genocide" from Ukraine for eight years. Minutes after the speech, he launched a war to gain control of the remainder of the country and overthrow the elected government under the pretext that it was run by Nazis.Russia's invasion was met with international condemnation. International sanctions were widely imposed against Russia, including against Putin personally. The invasion also led to numerous calls for Putin to be pursued with war crime charges. The International Criminal Court (ICC) stated that it would investigate the possibility of war crimes in Ukraine since late 2013, and the United States pledged to help the ICC to prosecute Putin and others for war crimes committed during the invasion of Ukraine. In response to these condemnations, Putin put the Strategic Rocket Forces's nuclear deterrence units on high alert. By early March, U.S. intelligence agencies determined that Putin was "frustrated" by slow progress due to an unexpectedly strong Ukrainian defense. On 4 March, Putin signed into law a bill introducing prison sentences of up to 15 years for those who publish "knowingly false information" about the Russian military and its operations, leading to some media outlets in Russia to stop reporting on Ukraine. On 7 March, as a condition for ending the invasion, the Kremlin demanded Ukraine's neutrality, recognition of Crimea as Russian territory, and recognition of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states. On 16 March, Putin issued a warning to Russian "traitors" who he said the West wanted to use as a "fifth column" to destroy Russia. As early as 25 March, the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights reported that Putin ordered a "kidnapping" policy, whereby Ukrainian nationals who did not cooperate with the Russian takeover of their homeland were victimized by FSB agents. On 21 September, Putin announced a partial mobilisation, following a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kharkiv and the announcement of annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine. On 30 September, Putin signed decrees which