In addition to the military confrontation with Georgia, South Ossetia is known for its rich history, but in the Russian information space the Republic is often associated with corruption scandals and political upheaval. This opinion was expressed by Director of the Russian Center for Political Science "North-South", the Deputy Dean of the History Department of the Moscow State University Alexey Vlasov, during a meeting with the faculty and students of the South Ossetian State University. In his lecture "Politics in post-Soviet Russia: Current Status and Prospects" Vlasov expressed his vision on Russia`s political relations with the countries of the South Caucasus - Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia.