1991–1992 South Ossetia War December 1990, Tbilisi declared a state of emergency in South Ossetia and troops of the Georgian and Russian Interior Ministry (MVD) were dispatched to South Ossetia. The commander of the Georgian Interior Ministry troops was appointed as mayor of Tskhinvali. Georgia also imposed an economic blockade on South Ossetia. A military conflict was imminent. South Ossetian forces consisted of militia, volunteers from North Ossetia and other regions in North Caucasus. Most of their equipment and arms were former Soviet arms abandoned following the break-up of the Soviet Union. Former Georgian president, Eduard Shevardnadze, accused Russia of military involvement in the
Armed Forces of South Ossetia Armed Forces of South Ossetia The Armed Forces of South Ossetia is the military of the partially recognised state of South Ossetia. The force numbers about 500 men, or 1,500, including reservists. In includes an Army and an Air Corp. The South Ossetian Army was formed in 1992, and is the primary defense force in the breakaway sovereign region of South Ossetia, largely considered to be within recognized Georgian territory. The South Ossetian military fought against the Georgian forces in the 2008 South Ossetia war. At the time of the major Georgian offensive, the bulk of the Ossetian force was