[Juha]

Ruy
if you own pre-1991 maps on Caucasus, looking at them you'll see that both South Ossetia and Abkhazia Autonomous Regions belonged to Georgia Socialist Soviet Republic. Now when Baltic states got back their independence they wanted their 1939 borders back but Russia insisted (and eventually got its will accepted) that no, only accepted borders were those of the former Socialist Soviet Republics. Now "grateful" new Socialistic Republics Estonia, Latvia, cannot recall was Lithuenia also, had ceded some of their eastern areas to Mother Russia in 40s and to Russia these new Soviet Union time internal borders were only acceptable solution not 1939 internationally, also by SU, accepted borders. And of course in Georgia's case Russian view is different.

But as you wrote it is too early to draw definite conclusions and Georgia has acted at least thoughtlessly. If one is smaller, it's not clever to step on Russian's toes, one is to get a hefty kick, at least, for such a behavior.

Juha