Georgian troops have launched a major military offensive to regain control over the breakaway province of South Ossetia, stoking tensions with Russia over a territorial dispute that is deeply rooted in the region's Soviet past and could develop into full blown conflict. Tblisi insists that South Ossetia must remain part of its territory, refusing to budge on the region's demands for independence or a reunification with neighboring North Ossetia that would place it under Russian control.

Ethnic Ossetians, who are descendants of a tribe called the Alans, have their own language which they share with their neighbors to the north. Like Georgians, they are orthodox Christians.

South Ossetia, which today has a population of about 70,000 ethnic Ossetians and Georgians, emerged as an autonomous region within Georgia during the Soviet period after an abortive and bloody attempt to declare independence during the 1920s.

The region's independence movement gathered pace in the 1980s against a backdrop of rising Georgian nationalism. The newly created South Ossetian Popular Front sparked demonstrations on both sides by demanding republic status for the territory.

Conflict broke out in January 1991, continuing for nearly 18 months before a cease-fire was agreed by Russian, Georgian and South Ossetian representatives. This came several months after Georgia had declared independence following the collapse of the old Soviet Union.

The cease-fire, enforced by peacekeepers from Russia, Georgia, and North Ossetia, held in place until 2004.

Although a fresh outbreak of hostilities ended resulted in a new cease-fire deal, the region has remain embroiled in tensions, further exacerbated in November 2006 when South Ossetians voted overwhelmingly to restate their demands for independence in a referendum unrecognized by Tblisi.
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Another vote by ethnic Georgians in South Ossetia rejected independence.

The dispute over South Ossetia is echoed in the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia, which has also had defacto independence since the 1990s.