Russia votes to back independence

The United States and European Union have promptly denounced a move by Russia to back independence for Georgia's two breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russian MPs voted unanimously to support independence for the two regions - giving Moscow a strong domestic legal mandate to take control of the areas after its invasion this month.

US president George Bush said he was "deeply concerned" by the move while Germany declared it was "in no way appropriate to either calming or defusing tensions".

Russia's recognition of the separatist regions still requires the approval of President Dmitry Medvedev. However yesterday he appeared unconcerned if Nato chose to sever ties.

This would be "no great loss", Medvedev said. "If they choose to break off this relationship, even the whole of it, nothing terrible will happen."