The
1991–1992 South Ossetian War (also known as the
First South Ossetian war) was fought as part of the
Georgian-Ossetian conflict between
Georgian government forces and ethnic Georgian militia on one side and the forces of
South Ossetia and ethnic Ossetian militia who wanted South Ossetia to secede from Georgia and become an independent state, supported by individual Russian troops, on the other. The war ended with a Russian-brokered ceasefire, signed on 24 June 1992, which established a
joint peacekeeping force and left South Ossetia divided between the rivaling authorities.