South Ossetia, officially the Republic of South Ossetia–State of Alania, is a partially recognised landlocked country in the South Caucasus. It has an officially stated population of just over 56,500 people (2022), who live in an area of 3,900 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi), with 33,000 living in the capital city, Tskhinvali.
The Georgian–Ossetian conflict is an ethno-political conflict over Georgia's former autonomous region of South Ossetia, which evolved in 1989 and developed into a war. Despite a declared ceasefire and numerous peace efforts, the conflict remained unresolved. In August 2008, military tensions and clashes between Georgia and South Ossetian separatists erupted into the Russo-Georgian War. Since then, South Ossetia has been under a de-facto Russian control.
The South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast was an autonomous oblast of the Soviet Union created within the Georgian SSR on April 20, 1922. It was an ethnic enclave created for the Ossetians within Georgia by Soviets as a reward for their political loyalty during the 1921 Soviet invasion of Georgia. Its autonomy was revoked on December 11, 1990 by the Supreme Council of the Georgian SSR after illegally holding rival elections, leading to the First South Ossetian War. Currently, its territory is controlled by the breakaway Republic of South Ossetia.
The 1991–1992 South Ossetia War was fought between Georgian government forces and ethnic Georgian militias on one side and the forces of South Ossetian separatists and Russia on the other. The war ended with a Dagomys Agreement, signed on 24 June 1992, which established a joint peacekeeping force and left South Ossetia divided between the rival authorities.
Anatoly Ilyich Bibilov is a South Ossetian military officer, was the fourth president of South Ossetia. He succeeded Leonid Tibilov as president on 21 April 2017 to 24 May 2022, following his election victory, but was defeated by Alan Gagloev in the 2022 election.
Presidential elections were held in South Ossetia on 9 April 2017 alongside a referendum on changing the official name of the state to "Republic of South Ossetia–the State of Alania", or "South Ossetia–Alania" for short. Incumbent President Leonid Tibilov ran for a second and final term in office, but was defeated by Anatoly Bibilov of the United Ossetia party.
Presidential elections were held in the disputed territory of South Ossetia on 10 April 2022. As none of the presidential nominees obtained at least 50% of the votes, a runoff was held on 8 May 2022, between the top two candidates, Alan Gagloev and incumbent president Anatoly Bibilov.
South Ossetia is a partially recognized and Russian-occupied separatist state internationally recognized as part of Georgia. It is mainly inhabited by Ossetians, an ethnic group also dominant in North Ossetia, which is part of Russia. South Ossetia separated itself from Georgia following the 1991–1992 South Ossetia War with the help of Russia, remaining ever since as a state closely allied with this country.
Alan Eduardovich Gagloev, also transliterated as Gagloyev, is a South Ossetian politician and former intelligence officer, who is the fifth and current president of South Ossetia since 2022. He also served as chairman of the Nykhaz party from 2020 to 2023.
Nykhaz is a political party in South Ossetia founded in 2013 by supporters of Independent president Leonid Tibilov. Its members and supporters are referred to as Nykhasovites in local media.
Konstantin Khasanovich Dzhussoev is a South Ossetian politician serving as the Prime Minister of South Ossetia since 2022.
David Georgievich Sanakoev is an Ossetian separatist, indicted war criminal, politician, diplomat, and international fugitive, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Ossetia from 2012 to 2015, during the presidency of Leonid Tibilov.
Zita Grigorievna Besayeva is a South Ossetian politician who has been a member of the Parliament of South Ossetia since 2014. Following the election of Alan Gagloev as President of South Ossetia, she has served as the chairwoman of the ruling Nykhaz party since February 2023.
Parliamentary elections were held in South Ossetia on 9 June 2024 to determine the composition of the South Ossetian Parliament, the legislature of the partially recognized Caucasian Republic of South Ossetia, which most of the United Nations recognizes as part of Georgia. In the 2022 presidential elections South Ossetia's opposition came to power for the first time since 2012, however, the government has been plagued by scandals.
Alan Alborov is an Ossetian politician from partially recognized South Ossetia and former speaker of the Parliament of South Ossetia from September 2022 to June 2024. Alborov has served as the founding chairman of the Nykhaz political party, as well as the mayor of the capital city of Tskhinvali.
Supreme Soviet elections were held in the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast on 9 December 1990. The disputed elections took place during a period of extreme ethnic unrest in Georgia during the collapse of the Soviet Union. South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia and held elections in response to regional political parties being barred from the 1990 Georgian Supreme Soviet election. In response, Georgia declared martial law, which culminated in the start of the South Ossetian War.
Garry Muldarov is a politician from the small, partially recognized, South Caucasian Republic of South Ossetia, serving as a member of parliament since 2019 as a member of the pro-Russian establishment United Ossetia, however, would leave the party in 2021 to become a political independent.
Atsamaz Bibilov is an Ossetian politician from the partially recognized Caucasian Republic of South Ossetia, which most of the UN recognizes as part of Georgia, occupied by Russia. Bibilov is a member of the Parliament of South Ossetia, being the chairman of its defense and security committee, one of the senior leadership roles.
Amiran Dyakonov is an Ossetian politician from the partially recognized Caucasian Republic of South Ossetia, which most of the UN recognizes as part of Georgia, occupied by Russia. Dyakonov is a veteran legislator for the People's Party, previously being a member of the Unity Party.
On August 28, 2020, in South Ossetia, the South Ossetian Police reported that a suspect in a murder plot against Igor Naniyev, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Inal Djabiev, had died in custody. After it was revealed that Djabiev was not only innocent, but also brutally tortured to death, massive protests erupted in the capital of South Ossetia, Tskhinvali, demanding reform to not only to the police, but also the entire legal system of the partially recognized Republic.
