South Ossetia

South Ossetia, or Республикӕ Хуссар Ирыстон, Rêšpublika Xuššâr Irešton is a de facto country in the south Caucasus region. It is alterntely named the State of Alania, or Паддзахад Алстон, or Pâddzâxâd Âllonšton. Most other countries regard it as being part of Georgia.


 * South Ossetia was an autonomous oblast in the Soviet Union. South Ossetia declared itself a sovereign state within the USSR in September 1990. With Georgia declaring independence in 1991, it claimed South Ossetia resulting in the 1991-92 South Ossetian War. South Ossetia remained a de facto independent nation after that.
 * Meanwhile, bogus overprints on Soviet definitives and various bogus commemorative issues in sheets and souvenir sheets appeared.
 * The first genuine issue appears to be one issued May 1994 of three stamps, inscribed HUSSAR IRYSTON RESPUBLIKA together with РЕСПУБЛИКА ХУССАР ИРЫСТОН.
 * By 1995 the dual inscriptions had become RESPUBLIKÆ XUSSAR IRYSTON and РЕСПУБЛИКA ЮЖИAЯ ОСЕТИЯ.
 * Beginning about 1996, "RESPUBLIKÆ XUSSAR IRYSTON" was used alone.
 * At least by 2013, dual inscriptions of ХУССАР ИРЫСТОН and SOUTH OSSETIA were being used.

South Ossetian mail to international destinations is apparently handled via Russia and is accepted by other nations, though the UPU and Georgia have stated that South Ossetian stamps are illegal issues.

 File:South Ossetia first.jpg|200r value from the first 1994 issue. File:South O prehistoric.jpg|1994 prehistoric animals set. File:South ossetia cancel.jpg|2013 set used in 2014 with Tskhinvali cancel. File:South Ossetia Russia meet.jpg|2014 stamp. 

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