South Ossetia (South Ossetia) is an unrecognized state of Transcaucasia (Russia, Abkhazia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Naura recognize the independence of the country). The capital of South Ossetia is Tskhinval. The area of the state is about 3900 km 2 .
The borders of South Ossetia
The border of South Ossetia with Russia runs along the Caucasian watershed ridge. The border line is 74 km long. Transport communication with Russia is possible only on two motorways:
- Through the Mamison pass along the Ossetian military road. The route passes through the territory of Georgia, the border is closed by the border guards of the two powers.
- On the Trans-Caucasus highway through the Roki tunnel. A checkpoint is constantly operating in the Transcaucasian direction. About 1,000 cars pass through the checkpoint daily. Pedestrians are not allowed to cross the border. Since 2010, a visa-free regime has been operating between South Ossetia and Russia.
The South Ossetian-Georgian border is the border of Georgia and South Ossetia. According to the Georgian Constitution, the border and South Ossetia itself as a separate administrative unit does not exist. The government of the republic considers the South Ossetian Autonomous Okrug an occupied territory, which belongs to the Georgian people.
Arrangement with the Russian Federation on general border protection
The agreement between the countries of South Ossetia - Russia provides for assistance from the Russian Federation in the training of personnel and the full compilation of the national border service of Ossetia. The border guards of South Ossetia are supported by the military base of Russia, which is almost two thousand people. Ossetia provided its own territory for Russian military facilities for a period of 99 years.
Cities and capital of Ossetia
The capital of South Ossetia is Tskhinval, where about 30.5 thousand people live (approximately 57% of the total population) as of 2015. In total, the country has 53.5 thousand citizens. The demographic situation leaves much to be desired: the population is declining. In 1989, for example, 98 thousand people lived in South Ossetia, of which 42.3 thousand were citizens in the capital.
The largest cities in South Ossetia in 2015 are represented by the following administrative units:
- Kvaisa settlement (Dzausky district) - 6.5 thousand people;
- Znaursky district - 4.5 thousand people;
- Leningor district - 4.2 thousand people.
Almost 80% of the Georgian population of the area and 70% of the Ossetian became refugees after the August events of 2008. By the end of 2009, only about 1.2 thousand people out of almost 50 thousand who had left had not returned to their homeland.
The ethnic composition of the state
The country's population consists of Ossetians, Georgians, and some other ethnic groups: Jews, Armenians, and Russians live in South Ossetia. In percentage terms, the ethnic composition of the state is represented by such groups:
- Ossetians make up 69.07% of the total population;
- Georgians - 26.94% of all residents;
- Jews account for 2.04%;
- Georgian Jews make up 1.99%
- Armenians - 1.57% of all residents;
- 0.18% of Russians live in the country.
Language affiliation of the population
Russian and Ossetian are the state languages in South Ossetia. Does South Ossetia belong to Russia if the state language of the Russian Federation is on the same level as Ossetian in the country? Despite the fact that on November 13, 2011, a referendum was held on conferring state status on the Russian language and 84% of citizens spoke out in favor, there was no official unification of Russian and Ossetian territories.
All central television and radio channels broadcast in Russian, newspapers and magazines are printed in the state language of the Russian Federation. In Russian, training is conducted in all educational institutions of the country. On April 5, 2012, a few months after the referendum, the State Parliament adopted the law “On State Languages”. Already on June 6, 2012, the regulatory act was approved, and Russian became the second state.
Relations of South Ossetia with the Russian Federation
The term "Russian-South Ossetian relations" refers to the economic relations of South Ossetia and Russia. Today, the Russian Federation is the main partner of Ossetia in the political, economic and military spheres. The functioning of the state economy relies heavily on assistance from Russia.
In March 2015, an agreement on deeper integration was developed and signed between the countries. The document provided for the creation of a military alliance. At that time, Georgia still did not recognize the independence of South Ossetia and considered the territory of the country occupied by Russian troops.
Cooperation in politics, economics, military
In 2015, an agreement was signed, according to which the Russian Federation and South Ossetia introduce a single defense and customs space. Crossing the borders from the moment the agreement enters into force is carried out according to a simplified procedure. The procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for residents of South Ossetia has also been simplified. The Russian Federation is connected to health insurance and the formation of pensions for citizens of Ossetia. In addition, the agreement stipulates that military aggression against one state will be considered as military aggression against the two countries.
After the signing of the agreement and the active participation of the Russian Federation in the economy and politics of South Ossetia in the international political arena, the question arose whether South Ossetia is part of Russia. To this, Leonid Tibilov (President of South Ossetia) answered in the negative and explained that as of 2015, there was no talk of a union of countries. The agreement between the Russian Federation and South Ossetia was not recognized by the Georgian authorities and the United States, since they considered such an agreement a violation of the territorial integrity of Georgia.
Dependent Independent South Ossetia
Is South Ossetia a part of Russia? This question causes bewilderment among the neighboring neighbors of South Ossetia. Was the independence of South Ossetia proclaimed? To understand the situation, it is necessary to consider the origins of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict.
Back in the early nineties, relations between Georgia and South Ossetia went into the military stage. Against this background, in August 2008, full-scale hostilities unfolded. Thanks to Russian intervention, the Georgian army left the territory of South Ossetia, after which the Russian government recognized the independence of the republic. This was an unexpected decision, since South Ossetia was counting on the accession of the territory to Russian lands.
In November 2011, after the Russian Federation recognized the independence of South Ossetia, the republic held presidential elections. The president of the republic was V.V. Brovtsev. In 2014, parliamentary elections were held in the country, at which the United Ossetia party won the majority of votes. Representatives of the political force wanted South Ossetia to become part of Russia. But, having received power, politicians were unable to fulfill the "century-old dream" of the inhabitants of Ossetia.
In June 2016, a new text of the integration agreement between South Ossetia and the Russian Federation was prepared. The first document dealt with the complete absorption of the South Ossetian power structures by the Russians in such a way as to transfer to Russia the right to make decisions regarding the state security of Ossetia, but at the same time not to deprive the Ossetians of independence. As a result, the option of joining the Russian Federation was excluded and the degree of integration of South Ossetia into the Russian space has significantly decreased.
Modern Russia and the likelihood of unification with South Ossetia
The Russian Federation faced international sanctions in response to the annexation of Crimea, so now it’s simply not profitable to include the Ossetian people in the state - this will cause additional criticism from the world community, which can subsequently lead to even greater sanctions. Therefore, to the question “is South Ossetia a part of Russia?” Russian authorities openly declare disapproval of attempts to connect. This is Russia's frank recognition that they have no relationship with the progressive but poorly organized political power of South Ossetia. Modern Russia acts more as a supporting side of the current president of Ossetia.
What other states seek to become part of the Russian Federation?
Residents of South Ossetia are not the only people who seek to join the Russian Federation. The new composition of Russia was formed on March 18, 2014, when the Crimean peninsula was annexed to the territory of the state.
Transnistria, for example, is an unrecognized state and seeks to unite territories with the Russian Federation. According to the vote, which was held in 2006, 97% of citizens supported reunification. In 2013, Russian federal legislation was adopted on the territory of the country. In March 2014, the Supreme Council of the PMR requested the State Duma to accept the unrecognized republic as part of the Russian Federation, since 40% of residents with Russian citizenship live on its territory.
In 2014, the heads of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk Republics turned to the authorities of the Russian Federation with a request for unification. The DNI and LC during the long war were destroyed, and large investments are needed to rebuild the cities. Therefore, the Russian government is in no hurry to include them in its composition.