Armed Forces of South Ossetia units. On 31 March 2017, defence ministers of the two countries signed agreements whereby some units of the armed forces of South Ossetia would go under Russia′s command. The South Ossetian military has a total of 16,000 soldiers. 2,500 soldiers are on active duty and 13,500 are reservists. At the beginning of the 2008 South Ossetia war, the armed forces possessed the following equipment: After the 2008 South Ossetia War, some of the tanks captured from Georgia's forces have been transferred to the South Ossetian military. There are 2500 active members and approximately 16000 reserve members within the South Ossetian
International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia justice minister Nika Gvaramia claimed that “this will have very serious political consequences for Russia." "We will overcome this crisis, I am sure; but what is Russia going to do with its own state – in respect of separatism, which is still a problem in Russia; I'm not worried much about it, but I am sure that it will lead to a total collapse of Russia if not today, tomorrow, for sure," he told journalists. Following the Russian recognition of South Ossetia, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt stated, "South Ossetian independence is a joke. We are talking about