Russian President Dmitry Medvedev formally recognized Georgia's rebel regions as independent on Tuesday, according to dpa. "In the current crisis it became necessary to make a decision. ... I have signed decrees on the recognition by the Russian Federation of the independence of South Ossetia and the independence of Abkhazia," Medvedev said in a nationally televised statement Tuesday. The United States slammed the resolution while the European Union reaffirmed support for Georgia's territorial integrity just minutes before Medvedev's announcement. "Russia calls on other states to follow its example. This is not an easy choice to make, but it represents the only possibility to save human lives," the president said after meeting with Russia's security chiefs.
