Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed decrees on Tuesday, recognizing the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Countries like the United States, Britain and France have voice opposition and dissatisfaction over Russia's move.
The following are some basic facts about the South Ossetia issue.
South Ossetia, a breakaway region of Georgia, has an area of about 3,900 square kilometers and a population of some 190,000 which mainly consists of ethnic Ossetians, ethnic Russians and ethnic Georgians.
The region, which borders Russia's North Ossetia, has demanded integration with the latter since 1989.
South Ossetia, which has sought independence since the disintegration of the former Soviet Union, held a referendum in January 1992 demanding independence and the integration with North Ossetia.
A massive military conflict occurred in the early 1990s as a result of the deterioration in the ties between the central Georgian government and the authorities of South Ossetia.
Georgia and Russia have been at odds over the South Ossetia issue, and Georgia often accuses Russia of supporting the breakaway region.
On June 24, 1992, a cease-fire accord was reached among Russia, Georgia, South Ossetia and North Ossetia. Under the deal, a mixed supervision committee from the four sides and a coalition peacekeeping force composed of soldiers from Russia, Georgia and South Ossetia were established for a peace-keeping mission in the conflict-hit zone.
In November 2006, South Ossetia held another referendum which showed that most voters favored the region's independence, but the result was not recognized by the international community.
Overnight between Aug. 7 and 8, Georgian armed forces entered the breakaway region of South Ossetia and opened fire at the regional capital Tskhinvali, worsening the situation in the conflict-torn region.
Both houses of the Russian parliament approved an appeal on Monday to Medvedev to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Source:Xinhua
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