De-facto independent states of the Caucasus: redefining the terminology

For many years Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Transnistria were known as "de-facto independent states". However, today's reality in Abkhazia and South Ossetia makes the notion of "defacto independent states" obsolete. After the recognition of the independence of these republics, the situation has changed and the terms, which could have been used before to describe these state formations, require rethinking for the present day.