Thomas de Waal
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South Ossetia Today
South Ossetia has all but disappeared from international view since the Georgia-Russia conflict of 2008 and is now being used by Moscow to pressure Tbilisi and channel funds to the breakaway Donbas regions.
Source: CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN POLICY STUDIES
The modern history of South Ossetia is a tragic one in which a generally peaceful region was first dragged into an unnecessary war with Georgia in the 1990s, then became the centre of the Georgian-Russian conflict of 2008. Since then it has been granted what has been described as “unwanted independence,” which in practice means isolation, economic depression and de facto Russian military annexation. On a personal level, this isolation hurts Ossetians as much or even more than Georgians. Many mixed Georgian-Ossetian families have been divided. The South Ossetian economy has withered, deprived of its traditional economic links with neighbouring Georgian towns.Read Full Text
This publication was prepared within the framework of the CEPS-led 3DCFTAs project, enabled by financial support from Sweden. To download the publication, please consult the following link.
About the Author
Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe
Thomas de Waal is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, specializing in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.
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