[MarMema]

South Ossetia, backed by Russia, enjoyed a de facto sovereignty and raised most of its state revenue from taxing traffic on the most important road tunnel through the Caucasus mountains. Moscow also sent generous subsidies. Unofficially, the enclave was also a major boon to local smugglers wanting to trade in untaxed cigarettes, drugs and other contraband in Georgia, Russia and beyond. Other Russian-protected ethnic enclaves in the region, including Abkhazia along Georgia's Black Sea coast, are also havens for smugglers and organized crime, according to international police officials.

[AndyJackson]

You paint a vivid picture of an absolute political mess, one that the wisdom of Solomon cannot sort out. So, I guess my vote would be to stay out and not try to have WWIII in a place that is only slightly less strategically isolated than outer Mongolia.

[AndyJackson]

PS. I get my information by looking at an f’in map.