Russia delivered about 10 tons of humanitarian aid to South Ossetia under an interdepartmental humanitarian action due to be held up to September.

"The humanitarian aid includes over three tons of medications, five tons of books,..., and also a car for medical broadcasts to Moscow hospitals," South Ossetian Federal Security Service border guards chief Alexander Murzin said.

A field multifunction hospital will be deployed in the republics Liningorsk district, experiencing problems with communications, Murzin said. Regidents of the district will be able to undergo a treatment there for free, he added.

Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov earlier said Moscow's total aid to the republic would stand at 28 billion rubles ($916 million). South Ossetia has already received 4.7 billion rubles ($154 million), and will get 6.8 billion rubles ($222 million) next year.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia shortly after a five-day war with Georgia in August 2008. Fighting broke out when Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia in a bid to bring it back under central control.

Nicaragua, Venezuela and the tiny island nation of Nauru are the only other countries to have recognized the republics.

Russia also signed earlier this year agreements with South Ossetia and Abkhazia on establishing permanent Russian military bases there. On August 11 Russia announced the deployment of the S-300 air defense systems in Abkhazia.

TSKHINVALI, August 22 (RIA Novosti)