Watch Russia thrash NATO and the US on this sleeper. This is not energy, so I posted it here. Heads up, folks.

www.regnum.ru/english/737394.html

Eduard Kokoity: South Ossetia has already won
Read it in Russian

Those who are really interested in victory of international law will recognize the referendum; and those who violate norms of international law will surely not recognize outcomes of the referendum 2006, as it was with results of the referendum in 1992, South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity stated.

According to a REGNUM correspondent, at that, the president added: However, 2006 is not 1992. Look, how many journalists have arrived and are continueing to arrive. As early as today we can state that we have won. The referendum outcomes will be recognized, and South Ossetia will be recognized as an independent state. International practice confronted many examples when states had not been recognized for a long time; however, they were recognized finally.

Also, the South Ossetian president stated that at present, the Ossetian nation should unite all its efforts in order to preserve its language and culture. Ossetias south and Ossetias north are close as never before. Now, many Ossetian citizens living in the north have gained a historical possibility to express their opinion on Ossetias further fate for the first time. The referendum should be conducted at least for this purpose. After all, those, who survived after the first genocide was carried out, will participate in it. No US or Ukrainian tanks will force the Ossetian people to forget memory of their ancestors, history, and culture, Eduard Kokoity said.