After the Russo-Georgian War in August 2008, a number of incidents occurred in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Tensions between Georgia, Ukraine, the United States and the NATO on one side and Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other side remained high in 2008–2009.

Post-war events in 2008 September 2008 1 September 2008 On 1 September 2008, an interview with retired Colonel and Putin critic Vladimir Kvachkov was published. Kvachkov said that Russia had an opportunity to install a new regime in Georgia in August 2008 and the new leader of pro-Russian "democratic" government had already been selected by 12 August. The Russian spetsnaz had the orders to land in Tbilisi and either capture or kill President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili. Kvachkov refused to confirm whether Igor Giorgadze was supposed to become Georgia's new president.

Georgian MP Koba Khabazi declared that Georgia must lay claim to the city of Sochi in Russia. He also said that the world was now divided into two blocs: the Communist bloc and the others.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proposed to impose arms embargo against Saakashvili's regime. This initiative was seen as aimed against the United States and Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry declared that Georgia was hindering the return of 15 thousand Russian citizens to Russia. Foreign ministry official Andrey Nesterenko claimed that Georgia had begun rearming and the Georgian forces were regrouping on the Georgia–South Ossetia border.

On 1 September 2008, a human chain was formed in Tbilisi and other Georgian cities upon Saakashvili's initiative. Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II of Georgia gave his blessing.

In response to the sharp escalation with the West over invasion of Georgia, Russia began the largest military exercises in 20 years, named Stability 2008. 47 thousand troops would prepare for the probable nuclear war with the NATO in the 74-day exercises. The simulation scenario envisaged the launch of the Russian nuclear strike on the United States and the total annihilation of all enemy forces. President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev addressed the participants of the exercises in late September and referred to the war in South Ossetia in his speech.

2 September 2008 On 2 September 2008, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev called his Georgian counterpart a "political corpse". American officials suggested that the United States was considering to assist Georgia in the Georgian military rebuilding.

Russian foreign ministry official Andrei Nesterenko accused Georgia of recreating artillery installations near Gori, Georgia and of a military build-up near the security zone of South Ossetia.

President of Abkhazia Sergei Bagapsh declared that no new Russian bases would be built in Abkhazia. He also said that the Russian Black Sea Fleet would not relocate to Abkhazia and only the Russian land forces would continue their presence. Bagapsh said that the Russian recognition of Abkhazia was the end of the unipolar world. Bagapsh warned the West against rearming Georgia which could lead to the World War III. He also warned Georgia against "saber-rattling", otherwise Georgia could lose its statehood.

Anatoliy Nogovitsyn, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, declared that the US military transport had made 76 flights to Tbilisi in the period from August 13 to September 1 and delivered 1,200 tons of cargo. Nogovitsyn declared that Russia had withdrawn all regular forces from Abkhazia and South Ossetia deployed during the "peace enforcement" operation and only peacekeepers remained there.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia notified the Russian embassy of terminating diplomatic relations. The Russian embassy in Tbilisi would stop operations on 3 September.

An editorial in The Washington Times argued that old Russian weapons were still potent in the battle as evidenced in August 2008.

3 September 2008 $1 billion aid for Georgia was announced by the White House on 3 September 2008. Georgia would receive about half of aid during the remaining term of office of George W. Bush.

As of 3 September 2008, the official Georgian military casualties in the war were announced to be 156 killed.

4 September 2008 On 4 September 2008, Alexander Babakov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, compared the Russian invasion of Georgia to Soviet advance into Nazi Germany in the World War II during a discussion on the role of Ukraine in the August 2008 war. Konstantin Zatulin, Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma on CIS Affairs and Relations with Compatriots, declared that the conflict with Georgia stabilized the situation in the North Caucasus and secured territorial integrity of Russia.

The OSCE began monitoring of the road between Tskhinvali and the Georgian village of Karaleti.

During his visit to Georgia, Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney called the Russian invasion "an illegitimate, unilateral attempt" to alter the borders of Georgia. Cheney stated, "Russia's actions have cast grave doubts on Russia's intentions and on its reliability as an international partner." Cheney said that the US would support Georgia in joining NATO. Chairman of the Russian State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev claimed that Cheney was creating "anti-Russian axis".

Russian envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said that Russia would not be indifferent to Georgia's accession to NATO and that Russia would not cooperate with NATO over Afghanistan anymore. Rogozin denounced "insolent" visit of the Secretary General of NATO to Georgia projected to take place on September 15–16.

Pavel Borodin, the State Secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, declared that Abkhazia and South Ossetia could join the Union State by the year's end.

5 September 2008 On 5 September 2008, an editorial in Newsweek argued that if the United States decided to rebuild the Georgian army for battling against Russia, NATO's Eastern European members could demand the acquisition of the same defense capabilities.

USS Mount Whitney arrived in Poti. Russian foreign ministry official Andrei Nesterenko stated that Russia would not respond militarily to the increased presence of the NATO in the Black Sea.

Nicaragua recognized the republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia on 5 September 2008.

6-7 September 2008 On 6 September 2008, Abkhaz president Sergei Bagapsh announced plans to make Abkhazia an Offshore financial centre and to join the Commonwealth of Independent States. He also supported the Russian intervention in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, saying that if Russia had not intervened, the Abkhaz forces would not have stopped in Poti or Kutaisi.

The foreign ministers of the European Union decided to dispatch observers to Georgia.

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Vladimir Zhirinovsky declared that Russia should have occupied the whole of Georgia during the war and eliminated the Georgian statehood.

8 September 2008 On 8 September 2008, the International Court of Justice launched hearings into Georgia vs Russia case to examine Russia's role in the ethnic cleansing of Georgians upon Georgia's request.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko declared that Belarus would consider the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia after 2008 Belarusian parliamentary election.

Russian foreign ministry official Andrei Nesterenko announced that BP had stopped transporting oil via the Baku–Supsa Pipeline. Nesterenko said that the Georgian infrastructure losses were $1 billion, while the Georgian currency reserves lost $1.25 billion.

It was reported that Abkhaz de facto authorities allegedly began pressuring the schools in Gali District, Abkhazia to stop teaching in Georgian.

Georgia reported that Russian military near Poti strengthened their presence.

United States Department of State official Matthew Bryza said that the United States did not recognize the Russian buffer zones in Georgia as legal. He also said that the United States would not support an arms embargo against Georgia. Russian Foreign Ministry official Andrei Nesterenko said that Russia was against the deployment of a separate EU mission to Georgia. Russian envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said that Russia would stop cooperating with the NATO if Georgia was granted a MAP because this would mean that "NATO took the side of the aggressor".

2 Polish journalists were arrested near the village of Karaleti by the Russian and South Ossetian forces and were being treated as the Prisoner of wars.

MediaNews agency alleged that the Russian 58th Army had actually lost 1789 soldiers and 105 tanks in the war.

President of France Nicolas Sarkozy and Medvedev signed another agreement on a Russian pullback from Georgia. After meeting with the French president, Medvedev said the withdrawal depended on assurances that Georgia would not use force. The meeting between the European officials and Russian president had lasted over 4 hours. It emerged that after Medvedev had taken a break and left the meeting, Sarkozy threatened to abandon the negotiations because he opposed the Russian demand to remove the point on the Russian withdrawal from Georgia. Medvedev announced that after the international contingent would be deployed to the areas bordering Abkhazia and South Ossetia by 1 October 2008, Russia would withdraw its troops from undisputed Georgia within 10 days. Medvedev said that he had been given a document signed by Saakashvili relinquishing the right of the use of force. President of the United States George W. Bush recalled a draft nuclear cooperation treaty from the United States Congress. Georgian president Saakashvili signed the updated Medvedev-Sarkozy peace plan on the night of 9 September. Saakashvili said that he had shown an evidence to the EU leaders that Georgia did not initiate the hostilities in August 2008.

9 September 2008 On 9 September 2008, Anatoliy Nogovitsyn, deputy chief of the Russian General Staff, met with ambassadors and military attachés of more than 100 countries. He said that the US aid in deploying of Georgian military from Iraq "created a precedent of complicity in the armed conflict on the side of Georgia." Nogovitsyn stated that the Georgian Buk missile system responsible for downing 4 Russian planes was installed east of Gori.

Russia established diplomatic relations with South Ossetia and Abkhazia on 9 September 2008.

On 9 September, anonymous Russian military official said that Russia began complete pullout from Georgia; however, later on the same day, the reporter in Karaleti and Georgian official did not confirm the beginning of the pullout. Russia declared that 7,600 Russian soldiers would remain in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russian troops withdrew from Ganmukhuri near the border with Abkhazia, which, according to Georgian Security Council chief Alexander Lomaia, was one of 24 Russian checkpoints or positions outside separatist territories as of 9 September. At the United Nations Security Council, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin proposed a resolution imposing arms embargo on Georgia. Eric S. Edelman, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, said that "Georgia, like any sovereign country, should have the ability to defend itself and to deter renewed aggression."

Nino Burjanadze, former chairperson of the Parliament of Georgia, said in an interview that Georgia would never accept the loss of the territories and nobody, even Russia, had the right to dictate the Georgian people who should be the president of Georgia.

The New York Times reported that the Russian recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia gave new aspirations to separatists in Tatarstan and elsewhere in Russia that they could obtain independence too.

10 September 2008