What kind of money is there in South Ossetia? Abkhazia and South Ossetia: brief information about the two republics. Modern government structure

Details Category: Partially recognized and unrecognized states of Asia Published 04/14/2014 18:00 Views: 4660

Until 1990 South Ossetia was an autonomous region within the Georgian SSR.

On December 21, 1991, it declared its independence from Georgia. Currently, the state is recognized by 5 UN member states: Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru, Tuvalu. All other UN member states recognize the territory of South Ossetia as part of Georgia.

The republic is located in Transcaucasia. In the north it borders with the Russian Federation subject North Ossetia-Alania, in the west, south and east – with Georgia. It has no access to the sea.

State symbols

Flag– is a rectangular panel with an aspect ratio of 1:2 with three equal stripes: white on top, red in the middle and yellow on the bottom. Red represents courage, yellow represents wealth and prosperity, and white represents moral purity. The flag of South Ossetia is identical to the flag Russian republic North Ossetia-Alania. The flag was approved on November 26, 1990.

Coat of arms– is a round red shield. The shield depicts a leopard yellow color against the backdrop of the silvery Caucasus mountains. Around the shield is written the name of the country in two languages: in Russian (“Republic of South Ossetia”) at the bottom and in Ossetian (“Republic of Khussar Iryston”) at the top. The colors of the coat of arms (white, red and yellow) correspond to the colors of the flag of South Ossetia. The coat of arms was approved on May 19, 1999. It is almost identical to the coat of arms of North Ossetia. The Caucasian leopard against the background of mountains is the historical emblem of Ossetia, which in the Middle Ages was the coat of arms of the Ossetian state. The red field of the shield represents law, strength and courage, the golden color - supremacy, greatness and respect. The mountains on the shield symbolize the World Mountain with eight peaks - the oldest model of the world among the ancestors of the Ossetians and other Indo-European peoples. One peak at the top level - the divine absolute, supreme power, three peaks at the middle level - the world of people, three social functions Indo-Europeans, four peaks at the lower level - cardinal directions, geographical limits of the country. Silver color means purity, wisdom, joy.

Modern government structure

Form of government- presidential republic.
Head of State- the president.
Head of the government- Chairman of the Government.

Church of the Holy Mother of God in Tskhinvali
Capital– Tskhinvali.
Largest cities– Tskhinvali, Kvaisa.
official languages – Ossetian, Russian, Georgian (in areas where Georgians live densely).
Territory– 3,900 km².

Population– about 72,000 people. The population of South Ossetia consists of Ossetians (64.3%), Georgians (25%) and some other ethnic groups (mainly Russians, Armenians, Jews).
Currency- Russian ruble.
Administrative division– 4 districts and the city of Tskhinvali. Only two settlements have city status: Tskhinvali and Kvaisa. Dzau, Znaur and Leningor are villages. Other settlements have the status of villages.
Religion– The main religion is Orthodoxy.
Sport Football is the most popular sport.
Economy– according to the decision of the Georgian parliament, it organized an economic blockade of South Ossetia. The main products produced in South Ossetia are fruits, which, after the August 2008 war, are supplied exclusively to the Russian Federation.
The railway service also ceased ( Railway connected Tskhinvali with Gori and the Transcaucasian highway). There are also no airports. The republic's aviation is represented only by helicopters.

Parade military equipment South Ossetia on Victory Day
Armed forces- general headquarters, two rifle battalions, a motorized rifle battalion, a reconnaissance battalion, a logistics battalion, a mountain special forces company, a sniper company, a communications company, an engineering company, a security company, an honor guard company.

Nature

South Ossetia is located on the southern slope of the Central Caucasus and in the foothills of the Inner Kartli Plain. Almost 90% of the republic’s territory is located at altitudes of more than 1000 m above sea level. Highest point South Ossetia is Mount Khalatsa (3938 m).
Most of the rivers of the republic belong to the Kura basin (flowing into the Caspian Sea): Bolshaya Liakhva with its tributary Malaya Liakhva, Ksan, Medjuda, Lekhura. The Jojora and Kvirila rivers belong to the Rioni basin (flows into the Black Sea).

Kvirila River
The largest lake in the republic is Kelistba, located at an altitude of 2921 m. The lake is slowly being destroyed due to erosion of the soil by the Ksani River flowing from it. The lake is covered with ice for 7-8 months of the year.

The largest man-made reservoir is on the Malaya Liakhva River, it is used for irrigation.
In South Ossetia the following are distinguished: climate types: 1. Dry, steppe climate with moderately cold winters and hot summers (on the Inner Kartli Plain in the south of the republic). 2. Moderately humid with moderately cold winters and long summers (at an altitude of 2000-2200 m). 3. Humid climate with cold and long winters and cool summers (at an altitude of 2200-3000 m). 4. High mountain humid climate eternal snow and glaciers (on the tops of the Main Caucasus Range, at an altitude above 3000-3600 m. On the passes of South Ossetia, snow falls at almost any time of the year.

Visible life appears in South Ossetia below the boundary of eternal snow. At an altitude of 3500 m, a belt of mountainous rocky tundra with a predominance of mosses and lichens stretches in a narrow strip along the slopes of mountain ranges. Below, up to an altitude of approximately 2500 m, forb-grass alpine meadows are widespread, behind which tall-grass subalpine meadows with shrub-shrub thickets of the heather family descend like a variegated carpet: rhododendron, lingonberry, blueberry, crowberry.

Alpine meadows
Fauna of alpine meadows: aurochs, chamois, snow finches, larks, choughs, Caucasian snowcock, snow voles. The subalpine zone is inhabited by the brown hare, Promethean and common voles, Caucasian mouse mice, moles, shrews, chukars, mountain pipits, gray warblers, wall climbers, and birds of prey: eagle, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, falcon, bearded vulture.

Brown hare
The forests of South Ossetia are dominated by vegetation of temperate and subtropical zones: oak, beech, chestnut, linden, ash, alder, and conifers - spruce, fir, pine. Below grow medlar, dogwood, wild apple, pear, cherry, cherry plum, blackthorn, barberry, sea buckthorn, viburnum, walnut, birch, rowan, maple, willow, and juniper. Hazel, red currants, cherry laurel, boxwood, blackberries, raspberries, and rose hips grow in the undergrowth. In some places in the gorges a pre-glacial relict, the yew berry, has been preserved.

Sea ​​buckthorn
The mountain forests of the republic are inhabited by brown bear, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, wolf, fox, badger, raccoon dog, stone marten, forest dormouse, weasel, squirrel, hares, forest mice, bats, hedgehogs, Caucasian viper, and numerous European forest species. birds.

In the extreme south of the republic, wild rose, hawthorn, pine tree, and buckthorn grow. Among the animals inhabited are hamsters, voles, field mice, hedgehogs, hares, foxes, jackals, boa constrictors, and the steppe eagle.

The only specially protected natural area is the Liakhvi Nature Reserve.

Liakhvi Nature Reserve

It was established in 1977 to preserve high-mountain forests and was then located in the Gori municipality of Georgia (now the Tskhinvali region of South Ossetia). The reserve is located at an altitude of 1200-2300 m above sea level and covers an area of ​​6084 hectares. Covers a number of gorges, including the Gnukh Gorge.
The reserve is home to Caucasian deer, roe deer, brown bear, lynx, marten, Caucasian black grouse, Caucasian snowcock, mountain partridge, etc.

Brown bear

Culture

Kosta Khetagurov

The culture of South Ossetia has its own history and its own figures. The most famous of them is perhaps Kosta Khetagurov(1859-1906), an outstanding Ossetian poet, educator, painter and sculptor. The founder of Ossetian literature. He is also considered the founder of the literary Ossetian language.

Kosta Khetagurov “Zikara Pass”
In the city of Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian State Theater is named after K. Khetagurov.
Famous writers: M.B. Tskhovrebova, Z.Z. Kabisov, T.Kh. Tadtaev.

The most famous Ossetian dance is simd. As in other Ossetian folk dances, young men perform technically complex movements with temperament and ease. They behave with dignity, emphatically polite in their attitude towards the girl.
Simd is interesting in its design and compositional structure. It starts at a moderate pace, but gradually the pace of the dance accelerates. It is performed smoothly, on high half-toes, the body is always taut. The number of performers must be even.
State Honored Academic Song and Dance Ensemble "Simd" named after. B. Galaeva was founded in 1937. One of the famous performers of the ensemble was the singer Valery Sagkaev, who died tragically in 1992 in an avalanche on the Trans-Caucasus Highway.

Valery Sagkaev

Sights of South Ossetia

Tskhinvali

Monument to the victims of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict
As a result of the military conflict in August 2008, the city was destroyed. Russian Ambassador to Georgia Vyacheslav Kovalenko: “The city of Tskhinvali no longer exists. It simply doesn't exist. It was destroyed by the Georgian military.”
There were architectural monuments in the city: Kautskaya Church of St. George (VIII-IX centuries), Assumption Holy Mother of God(XIX century), St. Nicholas (XIX century), Kviratskhovel, Zguder Church of St. George. During the war in South Ossetia in August 2008, some of them were completely destroyed, others were seriously damaged.

During the restoration work of the Church of the Holy Virgin (1718)
One of the most picturesque parts of Old Tskhinval is the Jewish quarter. It has been known since the 13th century. It was seriously damaged by rocket and artillery attacks in 1991-1992, when Georgian troops captured the dominant heights above eastern part city ​​and shot him at direct fire for several months. In the summer of 1992, troops of the State Council of Georgia broke through the city's defenses and occupied the part of the city where the Jewish quarter was located. At the same time, ancient houses were burned and destroyed. The quarter was also seriously damaged during the military conflict in August 2008.

Village of Kusdzhit
...And very beautiful nature in South Ossetia

Story

Ancient history

The territory of South Ossetia has been inhabited by people since ancient times. The abundance of Paleolithic monuments on the territory of South Ossetia suggests that the climate of the Caucasus during the Stone Age was dry and warm. In the Acheulean caves of Kudaro-1 and Kudaro-2, the remains of a macaque and the bones of marine fish were found.
The ancient Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (90-21 BC) pointed out that “the wasps (Ossetians), who previously lived east of Armenia and the Persian Gulf, descended from the Medes-Iranians and settled in the territory of Transcaucasia proper, and in particular South Ossetia, 5 centuries before Christ. After the Mongol and Timur invasions, the remnants of the Alan population were able to take refuge in the mountains, where the process of ethnogenesis of the modern Ossetian people took place.

New history of South Ossetia

Georgian-South Ossetian conflict (1918-1920)

In 1918, Georgia restored its lost state independence and, as part of the newly formed Democratic Republic of Georgia, the Tskhinvali region, as in 1867-1917, was distributed between two administrative units of the republic - Gori and Dusheti districts. In May 1920, an uprising began: the Bolsheviks, having proclaimed Soviet power, put forward a demand for the region to join Russia. As during the previous uprising in 1918, this time too the majority of the local Ossetian population supported the uprising. The authorities of the Georgian Democratic Republic sent troops to Tskhinvali to suppress it. Government troops won a victory in a short time. Ossetian citizens who took part in the uprising (20,000 people) left Georgia and moved to Russia. In 1918-1920 in South Ossetia there were three major anti-government uprisings under the slogan of establishing Soviet power and the annexation of South Ossetia to the RSFSR. The most powerful was the uprising of 1920.
South Ossetian rebels and aid sent to them from Soviet Russia The South Ossetian brigade crossed the pass on June 6 and defeated Georgian troops near Java. The next day, after stubborn offensive battles, Georgian troops were defeated near Tskhinvali, and the city was taken. On June 8, Soviet power was proclaimed in South Ossetia.
In June-July 1920, the Georgian government carried out a punitive operation in South Ossetia, about 70% of the livestock was stolen or died, about 5 thousand Ossetians were killed or died from hunger and epidemics. The Soviet Georgian government created the South Ossetian Autonomous Region in April 1922. The administrative and state languages ​​were Russian and Georgian.

Declaration of independence of the Republic of South Ossetia

On November 10, 1989, the Autonomous Republic of South Ossetia was formed. The Supreme Council of the Georgian SSR declared this decision unconstitutional.
On September 20, 1990, the Council of People's Deputies of the South Ossetian Autonomous Region proclaimed the South Ossetian Soviet Democratic Republic within the USSR, and on November 28, 1990, the South Ossetian Soviet Democratic Republic was renamed the South Ossetian Soviet Republic.
On December 9, 1990, elections were held to the Supreme Council of the South Ossetian Soviet Republic. Residents of Georgian nationality boycotted them.

South Ossetian War (1991-1992)

On the night of January 5-6, 1991, police units were introduced into Tskhinvali and national guard Georgia. But Ossetian self-defense units and local police began to resist, and after 3 weeks they were forced to leave the city.
On February 1, 1991, Georgia cut off the power supply to South Ossetia. Several dozen old people froze to death in a nursing home, and babies died in a maternity hospital.
During 1991, periodic armed clashes continued. A flow of refugees from the conflict zone to North Ossetia and Russian territory began.
Georgian police forces carried out shelling of the city of Tskhinvali, leading to numerous destructions and casualties.

After the shelling

Ossetian detachments in blockaded Tskhinvali experienced a shortage of weapons and ammunition and acted in small sabotage groups. The humanitarian situation in the former autonomous region and city was catastrophic.
On September 1, 1991, the Session of the Council of People's Deputies of South Ossetia proclaimed the Republic of South Ossetia within the RSFSR. This decision was annulled by the Georgian parliament.
At the end of 1991 - beginning of 1992. began in Georgia itself Civil War, during which Jaboy Ioseliani was released from Tbilisi prison and sent by helicopter to Tskhinvali, he again headed the Supreme Council of South Ossetia. In the 1992 referendum, more than 98% of the population of South Ossetia responded that they would like to join Russia and become independent. The result of the referendum was the beginning of artillery shelling of Tskhinvali by Georgian artillery and armored vehicles. On May 20, 1992, Georgian militants shot at a column of refugees heading to North Ossetia near the village of Zar, killing 36 people.

Horrors of war

On May 29, 1992, the Supreme Council of the Republic of South Ossetia adopted the Act on State Independence of the Republic of South Ossetia.
On July 14, 1992, peacekeeping forces were introduced into the conflict zone consisting of three battalions (Russian, Georgian and Ossetian).

Ludwig Chibirov
November 10, 1996 first President of South Ossetia was elected Ludwig Chibirov, doctor historical sciences, Professor. In 2001 he was replaced by Eduard Kokoity.

Eduard Kokoity

At the end of May 2004, declaring its intention to fight smuggling, Georgia introduced detachments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and army special forces into the territory controlled by South Ossetia. On August 19, 2004, Tskhinvali was shelled from mortars. On the same day, military clashes took place near the village of Tliakan. A day later, Georgian troops were withdrawn from the conflict zone.
In March 2006, Eduard Kokoity filed an application to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation to annex the unrecognized republic to the Russian Federation.

Armed conflict 2008

On the night of August 7-8, 2008, Georgia began a new conflict. As a result of the hostilities, 48 ​​Russian military personnel, including 10 Russian peacekeepers, and 162 civilians were killed. The Russian Federation sent its troops into South Ossetia, a few days later Georgian troops were thrown back from South Ossetia, during the conflict armed forces Georgia left the upper part of the Kodori Gorge, previously controlled by them, in Abkhazia. On August 26, 2008, Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and on September 9, diplomatic relations were established between the states.
On the evening of August 7, the Georgian and South Ossetian sides of the conflict accused each other of violating the terms of the truce. Georgian artillery, including rocket artillery, began intensive shelling of Tskhinvali and surrounding areas.

Horrors of war: on the streets of Tskhinvali

On the morning of August 8, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili accused Russia of bombing Georgian territory, calling it “classic international aggression.” General mobilization was announced in Georgia.
At approximately 15:00 on August 8, Russian armored vehicles entered South Ossetia.

After the 2008 conflict

Despite the fact that the Supreme Council of the Republic of South Ossetia (RSO) declared the independence of the republic as an independent state, in August 2008 the independence of South Ossetia was recognized only by others unrecognized states on post-Soviet territory (Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Transnistria).
According to the Constitution of Georgia, it continues to be part of it (in the form parts of four different areas), but has been de facto independent from Georgia for the last 15 years.
Two weeks after the end of the active phase of hostilities in South Ossetia, the Russian Federation officially recognized the independence of South Ossetia, which caused a strong reaction from the world community.
On April 19, 2012, as a result of the elections, he officially took office as President of the Republic of South Ossetia Leonid Tibilov.

Exchange rates in Russia

Other currencies of South Ossetia: Russian ruble (RUB)

The currency of Russia is currently represented by a monetary unit called the Russian ruble. According to ISO 4217, the code of the Russian currency is designated as RUB; until 1998, this code was RUR. The very concept of “ruble” as a monetary unit appeared in Novgorod Republic in the 13th century. At first, the Russian ruble was part of the hryvnia and looked like a piece of silver with notches on it. The number of notches corresponded to the weight of the ruble; four notches, or four rubles, were equal to one hryvnia. Thus, the word “ruble” comes from the verb “to chop.” The modern Russian currency in the form of the ruble was introduced into circulation in December 1991. It was used simultaneously with Soviet rubles, which were in circulation in Russia until the fall of 1993. One Russian ruble is equal to one hundred kopecks. In the form of coins, the Russian currency is represented in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50 kopecks. In the form of paper banknotes, the Russian ruble is represented in denominations of 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 5000 rubles. In addition, there are metal analogues of the Russian ruble in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 rubles. The paper banknote of 5 rubles has not been printed since 1997, but nevertheless remains in circulation. In 2012, the Russian currency will also lose the paper version of the 10-ruble banknote. Its metal version went out of circulation on October 1, 2009. Whereas at all Soviet rubles Vladimir Lenin was depicted, Russian rubles are decorated with various landmarks located in different cities Russia - Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yaroslavl, Novgorod, Krasnoyarsk, Khabarovsk and Arkhangelsk. The Russian currency, or rather its issue, is controlled by the Central Bank of Russia - the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. FSUE Gosznak produces paper banknotes and coins. Gosznak mints are located in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and Gosznak printing houses are located in Perm and Moscow. Currently, the Russian ruble exchange rate is pegged to the US dollar exchange rate, however, despite this, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) is going to make the Russian ruble the Ukrainian reserve currency. All international credit cards are in circulation in Russia; currency exchange is carried out at exchange offices and banks.

Many Russians believe that South Ossetia is part of Russia. There are Russian passports, our ruble, Russia pays them pensions and salaries for state employees, South Ossetians vote in our elections. Although formally, according to international standards, this is Georgian territory. We still didn’t cross the border.

In 2017, they plan to hold a referendum in South Ossetia on the annexation of this unrecognized republic to Russia. South Ossetia, along with another Georgian region, Abkhazia, declared its independence after a military conflict with Georgia in 2008. Now South Ossetia is recognized by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, Tuvalu and the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic.

I was in North Ossetia at the invitation of the Guild of Interethnic Journalism. After the North Caucasus stage of the Media Creator competition, we went on an excursion to the Kurtatin Gorge, just in the direction of Georgia, and on the way we talked with the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “North Ossetia” Alan Kasaev.

In the photo: reading the newspaper “North Ossetia”, the newspaper’s circulation is 20,000 copies. Alan Kasaev is second from left.

An interview with Alan Kasaev was recorded by Yulia Korneva:

— Now the border between North Ossetia, that is, Russia and South Ossetia, is conditional. Crossing the border takes 5-10 minutes including inspection. You only need to present an internal Russian or South Ossetian passport. There is only one border and customs checkpoint between Russia and South Ossetia, along a single road. You can, of course, cross the mountains, but it’s hard. From Vladikavkaz (the capital of North Ossetia - editor's note) to the border is approximately 110 kilometers.

They live approximately the same way: in North Ossetia and in South Ossetia?

It's certainly poorer there. The consequences of the war continue to be felt. The fact is that South Ossetia existed very successfully as a transit territory - further to Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan. And we hoped that after the acute conflict with Georgia in 1990-92, it would be somehow resolved. But in 2004, Saakashvili, under the pretext of fighting smuggling, took and closed all the markets that traded between South Ossetia and Georgia on the territory of South Ossetia. This, of course, was colossal stupidity on his part, because it angered the people to the extreme. After all, what is better: smuggling or war? I think smuggling is much better than war. The Ossetian and Georgian populations on both sides of the then demarcation line coexisted well with each other, exchanges both in kind and in money took place. People went to visit each other and everything was fine. But this decision of his, in my opinion politically stupid and absurd, ultimately led to an acute conflict.
These markets sold everything from greens to cars. It was especially profitable to buy a car because customs duties in Georgia were much lower. You could buy a car there, register it in South Ossetia, and use a temporary permit to drive in Russia.

How did the conflict between South Ossetia and Georgia begin? So let's say, your version?

In 1989, nationalists Gamsakhurdia came to power in Georgia. He came to power under the slogan “Georgia for Georgians.” And I decided to abolish everything autonomous entities on the territory of Georgia: Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Adjara. He didn’t succeed with Adjara, since Georgians live there, only of the Muslim faith. But Abkhazia and South Ossetia simply did not comply. In 1990, South Ossetia did not want to be abolished and the South Ossetian Republic was formed within the USSR, directly subordinate to Moscow. And immediately attempts at armed pressure began from Tbilisi, armed people began to arrive, and sometimes even criminals were released from prison for this. The most acute phase of the conflict began after the collapse Soviet Union in 1991, the peak came in the first half of 1992, when Tskhinvali was surrounded on all sides and fired at from tanks and other heavy weapons.

Have you been to Tskhinvali, are traces of the past hostilities still visible?

In some places they are still visible. The houses are riddled with shells and bullets, and not all of them have been restored yet. Some large buildings still stand burnt. In the eight years that have passed since the last armed conflict, at least 60-70 percent have been restored.

Last time I went there this summer in June. I am a historian by training, and there is a research institute there and its director turned 70 years old, so we gathered several people, went, congratulated him, stayed a little and returned back. I don’t have close relatives there, but I have friends.

They say that if there is a mark in the passport about crossing the borders with South Ossetia or Abkhazia, then they may not be allowed into Georgia?

Well, we are traveling with internal Russian passports, and not with a foreign passport, and, naturally, they do not put any mark on the Russian passport. In 2010, when I was working in Moscow at the RIA Novosti Agency, we went to Georgia. The famous journalist Maxim Shevchenko and Volodya Mamontov, the then editor-in-chief of the Izvestia newspaper, went with me. It is known about me that I am Ossetian and cannot help but visit South Ossetia, so they let me into Georgia, but they didn’t. Volodya Mamontov was confused with Arkady Mamontov, a TV presenter, and was denied entry. Maxim Shevchenko was also stopped at the airport just in case and for some reason sent on a flight to Yerevan. And I came to Georgia. I have been to Georgia many times. The last time was this year in May. And I never had any problems crossing the border. Although my name is probably on all their secret computer lists.What is the population of South Ossetia in numbers?

According to the 1989 census, the maximum number of people there was 98 thousand. For comparison, in North Ossetia there are now 730 thousand. But now, taking into account the fact that Georgians no longer live in South Ossetia, there are probably 50-60 thousand people there - no more. And of them, about half live in Tskhinvali. People have always lived there not richly, and Georgia has never been particularly involved in this territory. Now Russia is helping South Ossetia: allocating funds for reconstruction, pensions and social benefits.

What kind of money is in use now in South Ossetia?

Russian rubles, they don’t have their own currency. Georgian money does not circulate openly there, but it is possible that they are exchanged there on the black market. But I don't know anything about this.

Is the Crimean scenario possible there?

Annex to Russia? Well, this is a matter of political speculation. The topic of South Ossetia is little known to anyone in Russia; such political dividends cannot be made from it, as in Crimea. Now ask Russians: 9 out of 10 Russians surveyed will be surprised to learn that South Ossetia is not Russia. That is, this is not a topic for some kind of political scandal that would attract and consolidate the electorate and lead to some kind of unity of society around the president. This is not Crimea. For Russia to annex South Ossetia now would mean further spoiling relations with the outside world. And to make sure that a few dozen more Ossetians' sympathies for Putin become even stronger - well, this is not the right dividend.

Is it by chance that South Ossetia is not participating in the Russian elections?

In South Ossetia, almost everyone has Russian passports, that is, they are Russian citizens, so they could vote. At the recent parliamentary elections there were 11 polling stations. But these were polling stations that belonged to the North Ossetian Electoral Commission.

I don't know. But for sure for United Russia. And residents of South Ossetia also participate in the Russian presidential elections.

So, in fact, it’s like Russia?

Well, not quite. For example, they have much lower customs duties than in Russia. Customs duties on cars there are half as much. A big, beautiful, fat Mercedes to clear through customs there will cost, say, ten thousand rubles.

What do they do for a living in order to buy a big beautiful Mercedes?

So it’s not them who buy it, but the Russians. That is, not the local population. And how do they earn money: well, firstly, there is a Russian military base there. About five thousand people, well, the bulk of these five thousand are South Ossetians. Plus maintenance of this military base. Third, this whole Russian border department is located there, this is also a couple of thousand people.

I hope this is not a military secret?

No, I don’t know military secrets. It may be a secret, but I don't know about it. Next is local budget system: doctors, teachers, officials, police officers.

But for the same police, what is their uniform, our Russian one?

Yes, only the old model. That is, the one we had about ten years ago, apparently there was a lot of it accumulated in warehouses.

Why, they communicate. There is a Leningorsky district there, where the border is actually open, but it is open to citizens, not to cargo. The population in this Leningorsky district: from five to ten thousand people - and everyone has Georgian passports. From Leningor to Tbilisi it is a 20-minute drive. All young people under 45 work mainly in Georgia in Tbilisi. Travel there is generally free, although formally Russian border guards issue passes. But really formally, there are no problems with this, and now they say that these passes will be canceled altogether, so as not to breed some kind of hypothetical corruption. But the main problem is, after all, the transit of goods. It must exist. Transit is what has fed South Ossetia for centuries and should feed it. But for this we need to somehow improve relations with official Tbilisi. Because fruits and vegetables will not feed the whole country.

South Ossetian state flag and North Ossetian are the same.

Upon returning to Tomsk, I recorded a survey on the street: what do Tomsk residents know about the current status of South Ossetia? The majority, indeed, are inclined to think that South Ossetia is ours.

Tags: Tomsk, Tomsk region, South Ossetia, North Ossetia, annexation of South Ossetia to Russia

The Republic of South Ossetia is a partially recognized state located in Transcaucasia. On this moment the question of the status of South Ossetia remains open: on the one hand, the independence of the country was recognized by Russia, and on the other, the territory on which the state is located is Georgian land. According to the 2007 census, the population of the republic is approximately 72 thousand people, the area is 3900 km2.

The ethnic composition of the population of South Ossetia is quite diverse. The majority, of course, are Ossetians (64%), but there are also Georgians, Russians, Armenians, Jews, and representatives of other nations.

The capital of South Ossetia is the city of Tskhinvali. State languages In this country, Russian, Georgian and Ossetian are considered.

According to the form of government, South Ossetia is a presidential-parliamentary republic. At the moment, the post of president of the republic is occupied by Eduard Kokoity. According to the administrative division, South Ossetia has 4 districts, each of which has its own center.

The population of South Ossetia consists of Ossetians, Georgians and some other ethnic groups (mainly Russians, Armenians, Jews), while Ossetian and Georgian settlements (until August 2008) were mixed with each other. Many Ossetian families left the region as a result of the armed conflict in the early 1990s, finding refuge on Russian territory, mainly in North Ossetia-Alania. Most Georgians left their villages as a result of the consequences of the August 2008 war and fled to Georgia.

National composition of South Ossetia in 2008:

Ossetians - 46,289 (64.3%)

Georgians - 18,000 (25.0%)

Russians - 2,016 (2.8%)

Armenians - 871 (1.21%)

Jews - 648 (0.9%)

others - 4,176 (5.8%) (Armenians, Tatars, Gypsies, Azerbaijanis, Lithuanians, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, Georgians, Tajiks)

According to South Ossetia, now (in 2009) the majority of the population are Ossetians (80%)

Speaking about the country's industry, it should be noted that no more than 10% of enterprises from the legacy of the USSR currently operate in South Ossetia. A significant drop in production in this area is associated with the wars with Georgia. Today, the country's industry employs about 670 people. Among the factories located on the territory of South Ossetia, the following enterprises can be distinguished: “Vibromashina” and “Emalprovod”, a timber processing plant that produces furniture.

The country's food industry is represented by the Aluton brewery, a fairly large and well-functioning enterprise. The main products produced by South Ossetia are fruits, which are supplied mainly to Russia. Due to its unique natural and climatic conditions, tourism is a good source of income for South Ossetia. IN Lately Old camp sites and holiday homes are being actively restored, new ski slopes and sanatoriums are being built. Generally speaking, the country's economy is going through hard times due to frequent military conflicts with Georgia.

The monetary unit used in circulation on the territory of South Ossetia is the Russian ruble. The National Bank and its branches serve clients throughout the country. Visiting tourists should take care in advance to convert their euros or dollars into rubles, because due to the lack of exchange offices, foreign currency does not circulate in the territory of the republic.

It is worth noting that in the depths of South Ossetia there are reserves of non-metallic and ore minerals. Thus, most of the deposits are located in the Dzau region; it is here that the largest deposit of polymetals in Transcaucasia is located. Research that was carried out back in Soviet times revealed that the country has small reserves of oil, coal and gas.

Most traders in South Ossetia work through Western or Russian brokers. Now they have access to trading in shares, options (for gold, silver, coffee, wheat, cotton, gasoline, gas and other goods), SP 500, currency trading on a global and Russian scale with access to the MICEX and RTS. The main world currencies are traded: Russian ruble, US dollar, Australian dollar, Belarusian ruble, British pound, euro, Kazakhstani tenge, Canadian dollar, Chinese yuan, Ukrainian hryvnia, New Zealand dollar, Swiss franc, Japanese yen.

The main mode of transport in the country is automobile. The Trans-Caucasus Highway passes through the territory of South Ossetia, which connects it with Russia and Armenia (from Moscow (Russia) you can get to almost anywhere in the world: Belarus, Latvia, Israel, Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Ossetia, Ingushetia, (many former countries USSR), Turkey, China, Japan, Ukraine, Australia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Moldova, Singapore, African and Asian countries). Railway transport has not been functioning in the country since the beginning of the first Ossetian-Georgian conflict. As for air transport, in South Ossetia there are only helicopters. There are no airports in the country, but it is planned to build one airfield in the future.

Show business stars such as Philip Kirkorov, Alla Pugacheva, Kristina Orbakaite come to South Ossetia as part of the tour.

The Republic of South Ossetia has a National Bank. Payments reach clients through branches of the National Bank in the regions. The possibility of branches of Russian banks (Sberbank, VTB Bank, Alfa Bank) coming to the territory of the Republic of South Ossetia is being discussed. Currently, the republic is experiencing an acute shortage of credit resources. It is believed that the arrival of Russian banking capital will be a serious breakthrough in terms of lending. As for direct work with entrepreneurs, loans are allocated for the restoration and development of business. The government also acts as a guarantor to the Savings Bank, which will issue loans to entrepreneurs for the restoration and development of business.

To date, since January 2010, the Department of Labor and Employment of the Republic of South Ossetia has registered 692 unemployed people, and the total number of vacancies is 110. “Among the people who are not provided with work today, there are also people with higher education: teachers, engineers, doctors, economists. 300 job seekers have no education. In addition, we have 249 registered people with secondary specialized education.”

Publications about South Ossetia have repeatedly appeared in leading foreign and Russian media: The Guardian, The Financial Times, The New York Times, Forbes, etc.