'Donetsk of Georgia' South Ossetia Republic Begins Annexation Process with Russia

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia
Photo by TASS Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The Republic of South Ossetia, an autonomous republic within Georgian territory, is reportedly pushing for annexation with Russia, Bloomberg News reported on the 30th (local time). The relationship between Georgia and South Ossetia is similar to that between Ukraine and the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, which sparked the war between Russia and Ukraine. South Ossetia's attempt at annexation could escalate conflicts between the West and Russia.

Anatoly Bibilov, President of South Ossetia, stated in a declaration posted on the Russian Federation Council's website, "The Republic of South Ossetia, with a population of about 50,000, will begin the legal procedures for annexation with Russia."

Andrey Klimov, a Russian Federation Council member, said in an interview with the state-run TASS news agency, "If the people of South Ossetia support annexation with Russia through a referendum, Russia will prepare for the annexation of South Ossetia." Senator Klimov is an influential political figure and serves as the deputy chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian parliament.

Pro-Russian South Ossetia was originally an autonomous region of Georgia. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, conflicts arose as South Ossetia sought to secede from Georgia. In 2008, a war broke out between Georgia and South Ossetia, with Russia intervening in the conflict. The war ended with a unilateral victory for South Ossetia, supported by Russia, and South Ossetia declared independence. However, only Russia, some former Soviet Union states, Syria, and Nauru have recognized South Ossetia as an independent country. The United States and the European Union (EU) maintain that Russia's presence in South Ossetia infringes on Georgia's sovereignty.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of last month, conflicts that had been simmering in countries formerly part of the Soviet Union have resurfaced one after another. Azerbaijan and Armenia clashed militarily in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone on the 24th and 25th.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a war over Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2020. At that time, a peace agreement was brokered by Russia, which deployed peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh for five years to prevent clashes between the two sides.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.