Separatist area’s self-declared president says South Ossetia will maintain a referendum to be a part of Russia in July.
The chief of Georgia’s breakaway area of South Ossetia set July 17 as a date for a referendum on becoming a member of Russia.
“Anatoly Bibilov signed a decree on holding a referendum within the Republic of South Ossetia,” his workplace stated in a press release, citing his individuals’s “historic aspiration” to affix Russia.
South Ossetia was on the centre of the Russian-Georgian struggle in 2008 territory, together with one other separatist area, Abkhazia.
Advertisement
After the struggle, Russia and a handful of different international locations recognised South Ossetia as an unbiased state, however a lot of the world nonetheless considers it to be a part of Georgia.
“We did it!” South Ossetian chief Anatoly Bibilov wrote on Telegram on Friday, asserting he signed a decree setting the referendum for July 17.
“In legalese, we fulfilled one more vital authorized requirement. And in regular language, we took a life-changing step – we’re going residence, we’re going to Russia. The time has come to unite as soon as and for all … South Ossetia and Russia will likely be collectively. That is the beginning of a giant new story.”
Bibilov misplaced his bid for re-election earlier this month. Russia has expressed hope the incoming chief, Alan Gagloev, will protect “continuity” in ties with Moscow.
The announcement got here on the 79th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with hundreds killed and greater than six million individuals fleeing the pro-Western nation.
Advertisement
‘Unacceptable’ referendum
Ukraine’s separatist areas of Donetsk and Luhansk have additionally expressed curiosity in becoming a member of Russia. The total-scale offensive on Ukraine has sparked an outpouring of solidarity in Georgia.
Georgia has beforehand denounced as “unacceptable” plans by South Ossetia to carry a referendum on becoming a member of Russia.
In August 2008, Russia launched an assault towards Georgia which was battling pro-Russian fighters in South Ossetia, after they shelled Georgian villages.
The combating ended 5 days later with a European Union-mediated ceasefire however claimed greater than 700 lives and displaced tens of hundreds of ethnic Georgians.
Advertisement
The referendum roughly follows the sample of Crimea. After Russia seized the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, a referendum was held on becoming a member of Russia and 97 p.c have been stated to have voted in favour.
The referendum was held whereas Crimea was below the management of Russian troops and the outcome was not recognised by most international locations. Russia then annexed Crimea.
Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday declared a state of emergency in Georgia in preparation for the winter storm expected to hit the state on Friday.
The declaration activates the state operations center and mobilizes resources among state agencies including the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia Department of Public Safety. It also includes prohibitions on price gouging during the storm and temporarily increases height, weight and length limits for commercial vehicles transporting essential supplies.
“The Georgia Department of Transportation, along with the Department of Public Safety, began treating roads early this morning to prepare for the approaching winter storm, and I’m asking all Georgians to help them do their jobs by limiting travel as much as possible in the coming days,” Kemp said in a statement.
“Hazardous conditions, including ice and snow, can develop quickly and make travel very dangerous,” he added. “Plan ahead and stay tuned to updates from state and local officials to ensure you and your loved ones remain safe while our first responders continue to work tirelessly throughout this weather event.”
Advertisement
The state of emergency is in effect through Jan. 14.
The latest forecast from the National Weather Service in Atlanta predicts a mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow moving into Georgia by sunrise Friday and continuing to push east across the northern part of the state — including metro Atlanta — throughout the day.
North Georgia is forecast to see one to three inches of snow, with higher amounts likely in the North Georgia mountains. NWS predicts a mix of precipitation types in Atlanta and southwards, with snow in the morning transitioning to sleet and freezing rain.
The area is under a winter storm watch from 7 a.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday.
:: Natalie Dale, Spokesperson, Georgia department of Transportation
“Brine is that mixture of water and salt. So the brine goes straight from these tanks into those tankers. And then you also have a system of pipes here where from the brine production unit outside — so where we’re churning up that granular salt and water, it feeds into the tanks.”
“We sit in a very precarious place here in Metro Atlanta. And a lot of what we get is ice which is very different. It is hard, if not impossible, to plow sheets of ice. It is easier to plow that big, fluffy snow that you do get in the North. So we have to develop a winter weather plan that is specific to southern winters which are very different than northern winters.”
GDOT’s MAU manages the state’s largest brine operation, producing and storing hundreds of thousands of gallons of brine to treat roads before and during winter storms.
This operation is crucial for preventing ice buildup on major highways, such as Interstates 75, 85, I-20, and 285, which are prioritized for treatment during storms.
Advertisement
GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale says Georgia’s primary challenge during winter weather is ice, not snow.
“We sit in a very precarious place here in Metro Atlanta. And a lot of what we get is ice,” Dale said. “It is hard, if not impossible, to plow sheets of ice. It’s easier to plow the big, fluffy snow you get up north.”
Starting at midnight, GDOT crews and vehicles will begin brining roads as snow and ice are expected to impact the region on Friday.
Due to the forecast of a winter storm with snow and ice, the following schools will be closed on Friday, January 10. Now Habersham will update the list as we receive the official notification from the school administration.
Schools
Tallulah Falls School as well as all extracurricular activities including the basketball games against Georgia Walton which have been postponed.
Colleges
Athens Technical College closed Friday.
If you would like to have your school or daycare added to our list, please email [email protected]
