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
Russia–South Ossetia relations 2015 a name change to "South Ossetia–Alania" — in analogy with "North Ossetia–Alania", a Russian federal subject. Tibilov furthermore suggested holding a referendum on joining the Russian Federation prior to April 2017, which would lead to a united "Ossetia–Alania". In April 2016, Tibilov said he intended to hold the referendum before August of that year. However, on 30 May, Tibilov postponed the referendum until after the presidential election due in April 2017. At the name-change referendum, nearly 80 percent of those who voted endorsed the name-change. Russia–South Ossetia relations Russia—South Ossetia relations () refers to the bilateral relationship between Russia