TSKHINVAL, August 26. /TASS/. Russia's decisive response to Georgia's barbaric aggression in 2008 put a stop to the West’s plans to spread NATO’s tentacles in the Caucasus, and the Georgian authorities received a sobering lesson that kept them from opening a "second front" after the special military operation started, South Ossetian President Alan Gagloyev told TASS.

"The biggest thing that came out of the historic decision by the Russian leadership to recognize South Ossetia's independence is that for the republic's residents were guaranteed peace and security. South Ossetia was spared from the threat of annihilation and was given an opportunity for peaceful development. Civilians dying every day, terrorist attacks, shelling, destruction, blockade - all these horrors are in the past. Russia's resolute and entirely appropriate response to Georgia's barbaric aggression destroyed the West's plans for NATO's advance in the Caucasus. And Georgia received a sobering lesson that prevented it from opening a 'second front' after the start of the special military operation," Gagloyev said.

He emphasized that Russia not only stopped the war and forced the aggressor to stand down, but also assisted in the post-war reconstruction of South Ossetia.

On the night of August 8, 2008, Georgia launched an armed attack on South Ossetia. Russia stepped in to defend the republic's citizens, many of whom had become Russian citizens, and its peacekeepers, who had been working in the region since 1992. As a result of the five-day military conflict, more than 1,000 people were killed, including 72 Russian servicemen. On August 26, 2008, Russia recognized South Ossetia's independence.