Russia–South Ossetia relations 2009, Sergey Lavrov stated that Russian recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia was not planned when the 2008 war began. As a result of the Russian recognition of Abkhazian and South Ossetian independence, Georgia severed diplomatic relations with Russia on 29 August 2008, and declared that it regards South Ossetia and Abkhazia as "occupied territories". Russia and South Ossetia established diplomatic relations on 9 September 2008, when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and South Ossetian Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Dzhioyev exchanged notes at the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow. On 25 September 2008, President Medvedev signed an ukaz appointing
South Ossetia Ossetian Agriculture ministry also imported some tractors in 2008, and was expecting delivery of more farm machinery in 2009. Russia planned to spend 10 billion rubles in the restoration of South Ossetia in 2008. The economy is currently very dependent on funding from Russia. In 2017 the Administration of South Ossetia estimated its GDP to be nearly 0.1 billion US dollars. The country's principal university is South Ossetia State University in Tskhinvali. After the Russo-Georgian War in 2008, education officials attempted to place most university-bound students from South Ossetia in Russian post-secondary education institutions. South Ossetia South Ossetia (, ),