The crisis Catastrophe began Process_start when a group of armed Islamic militants , mostly Ingush and Chechen , occupied Control School Number One ( SNO ) in the town of Beslan , North Ossetia ( an autonomous republic in the North Caucasus region of the Russian Federation ) on 1 September 2004 .

The Russo-Georgian War Hostile_encounter was a war Hostile_encounter between Georgia , Russia and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia .

Russia accused Judgment_communication Georgia of `` aggression against South Ossetia '' , and launched Process_start a large-scale land , air and sea invasion Attack of Georgia on 8 August with the pretext of `` peace enforcement '' operation .

Russian and South Ossetian forces fought Hostile_encounter Georgian forces in and around South Ossetia for several days , until Georgian forces retreated Escaping .

The South Ossetians destroyed Destroying most ethnic Georgian villages in South Ossetia and were responsible for an ethnic cleansing of Georgians .

Russia recognised Agree_or_refuse_to_act the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Georgia on 26 August and the Georgian government severed Process_end diplomatic relations with Russia .