The President of South Ossetia resigned to pursue a career in Moscow.

After meeting with Vladimir Putin, Alan Gagloev was appointed his advisor and announced his resignation as President of South Ossetia.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on May 9, Vladimir Putin and South Ossetian President Alan Gagloev signed an agreement in Moscow to deepen the allied cooperation between the Russian Federation and South Ossetia. The following day, May 10, Putin proposed the State Duma ratifying the agreement.

Gagloev's address to the people of South Ossetia in connection with his resignation was published today by the republic's presidential press service. In it, Gagloev stated that he was thus fulfilling the choice of his fellow citizens "to be with Russia."

"I supported our historical leader, Vladimir Putin, and am ready to stand by his side. Effective today, I am transferring to the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation and resigning as President of the Republic of South Ossetia," the statement on the official website reads.

According to Gagloev, Putin offered him the advisory position during a meeting held the day before, on June 22, in the Kremlin. At this meeting, according to a statement from the press service, they discussed "prospects for expanding bilateral dialogue, including taking into account the bilateral agreement signed in Moscow on May 9." In today's statement, Gagloev called this document "a decisive step towards the unification" of South Ossetia with the Russian Federation.

“Today, our task is to ensure that our cherished dream comes true – to overcome the fate of a divided people and reunite with North Ossetia, reunite with Greater Russia,” he said.

Putin signed the official decree appointing Alan Gagloev as adviser to the President of the Russian Federation today.

The head of the republic’s government, Marat Kambolov, has been appointed acting president of South Ossetia. “I ask everyone to rally around Marat Arkadyevich,” Gagloev added in his resignation letter.

Alan Gagloev took office as president of South Ossetia in May 2022. Former President Anatoly Bibilov lost the two-round election. Shortly before his departure, on May 13, 2022, Bibilov signed a decree calling for a referendum on South Ossetia's accession to Russia. Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, later stated that the idea "requires legal revision," and Alan Gagloev, upon becoming president, suspended Bibilov's decree pending consultations with the Russian side. The Russian Foreign Ministry approved this decision, stating that Bibilov's initiative had not been coordinated with the Kremlin.

Georgia considers Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be Russian-occupied territories after Russia intervened in the armed conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia on August 8, 2008, and subsequently recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The Georgian parliament voted to sever diplomatic relations with Russia, according to a "Caucasian Knot" report on the "Five-Day War" of 2008, which also contains details of the armed conflict.