Later, Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili accused Russia of trying to "break the Georgian state, undermine the fundamental values of Georgia, and to wipe Georgia from the map".
 Mikhail Saakashvili said Russia's declaration was completely illegal |
"Today's step by Russia is completely illegal and will have no legal basis, neither for Georgia nor for the rest of the world," he said.
"Russia has made an extraordinary strategic mistake and has badly damaged its place in modern international relations."
Mr Saakashvili described the declaration as "the first attempt in Europe after Nazi Germany and the Stalinist Soviet Union to... change the borders of Europe by force".
He then promised Georgians would "continue our struggle to restore peacefully our territorial integrity" and eventually "defeat the evil".
In the South Ossetia and Abkhazia, however, Moscow's move was warmly welcomed.
The leader of South Ossetia's separatist government, Eduard Kokoity, said he would ask Moscow to set up a military base on his territory.
In the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali there were scenes of jubilation while residents in Abkhazia took to the streets to celebrate the news, firing into the air.
From BBC news
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