Key facts
- Alan Gagloyev, leader of the Russia-backed South Ossetia region, resigned.
- He will take a position as an adviser in Russia's presidential administration.
- Gagloyev stated his new role will focus on implementing a treaty with Russia.
- The treaty aims for South Ossetia's incorporation into Russia.
Alan Gagloyev, the leader of South Ossetia, a breakaway region of Georgia that is backed by Russia, announced his resignation on Tuesday. He stated he would be taking a position as an adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Gagloyev's resignation is effective immediately, and he will hand over the presidency to his prime minister. He indicated his new role would involve helping to implement a treaty signed between South Ossetia and Russia last year, which he described as bringing forward the territory's "cherished dream" of incorporation into Russia.
South Ossetia, with a population of approximately 50,000, initially broke away from Georgia during the Soviet Union's collapse in the early 1990s and has maintained de facto independence with Russian support. Russia and a few other countries recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states following a brief war with Georgia in 2008. Previous leaders of South Ossetia have consistently expressed a desire for the territory to become part of Russia, though neither local authorities nor Moscow have proceeded with an annexation vote.