A pro-Russian former KGB officer has won the presidency in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia and suggested he would push for the tiiny territory to join Russia. A mountainous region of about 30,000 people, South Ossetia has been at the heart of Georgia's bitter relations with Russia since breaking from Georgian control in a war in the 1990s.
Moscow recognised it as an independent nation after a brief war with Georgia in 2008. Internationally it is only recognised by Venezuela, Nicaragua and the Pacific nation of Nauru. The victory of a Kremlin-backed candidate is certain to bolster Moscow's influence in the region as it seeks to complicate aspirations by US-backed Georgia to join Nato. According to results released on Monday, Leonid Tibilov won more than 54 percent of the vote in Sunday's presidential runoff against regional human rights ombudsman David Sanakoyev.
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