PHOTO:EAST NEWS/AFP
A South Ossetian man shoots in the air as he celebrates the recognition of the South Ossetian independence by the Russian Federation on August 26 in Tskhinvali. Russia on August 26, 2008 formally recognised the Georgian rebel regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states in a startling new challenge to the West. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced the recognition after meeting top ministers and defence chiefs on the Georgia crisis, ignoring warnings from Western powers against the move, which France and Britain immediately condemned.