Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence in a referendum.
Yesterday's vote was seen as illegal in the West, and there were no Western monitors present at the poll, but Russia says it should be respected.
"More than 90 per cent of the people have voted in favour of independence for our republic," the head of the region's election commission, said today.
South Ossetia, a sliver of land in the Caucasus mountains, threw off Tbilisi's rule in a 1990s war. With its status unrecognised and a tense military standoff on its borders, it is now one of the former Soviet Union's "frozen conflicts".
The vote was tempered by signs that Tbilisi wanted to ease tensions with the separatists and their Russian backers.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili moved his hawkish Defence Minister Irakli Okruashvili to a new post on Friday, in the strongest sign yet he wants to end a standoff that has dragged Russian-Georgian relations to an unprecedented low.
It was the second time South Ossetia had voted for independence in a referendum, and analysts said the vote was unlikely to bring the separatists much closer to their ambition of winning international recognition.
European Human Rights watchdog the Council of Europe said the vote would not be recognised.