Short answers, pulled from the story.
Five United Nations member states have recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia: Russia (the 26th of August 2008), Nicaragua (September 2008), Venezuela (September 2009), Nauru (December 2009), and Syria (May 2018). Vanuatu and Tuvalu previously recognised them but later withdrew recognition. Beyond UN members, Transnistria recognises both territories, and they recognise each other.
Russia recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia on the 26th of August 2008, immediately after the August 2008 war in which Russian, South Ossetian, and Abkhazian forces defeated the Georgian military and expelled it from both territories. The Federation Council and State Duma passed motions requesting President Dmitry Medvedev to grant recognition, following direct appeals from the Abkhazian and South Ossetian leadership.
Vanuatu's 2011 recognition was contested from the start. A government change in June 2011 led officials to deny recognition had been granted, while others insisted it had, producing years of contradictory statements. On the 14th of March 2019, Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu confirmed Vanuatu's definitive support for Georgia's territorial integrity, saying the 2011 recognition was the unauthorized act of a single minister influenced by outside parties.
Georgia declared both regions "Russian-occupied territories" on the 28th of August 2008, severed diplomatic relations with Russia the following day, and later cut ties with Nicaragua. Georgia also imposed a legal ban on economic activity in the territories without Georgian permission, blockaded Abkhazia's coastline with its navy, and seized 23 cargo ships attempting to deliver supplies. In January 2010, Georgia adopted a reintegration strategy called Involvement through Cooperation, committing to peaceful methods only.
Syria under Bashar al-Assad recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia in May 2018, with an Abkhazian embassy opening in Damascus in October 2020. The Assad regime collapsed in December 2024, leaving the status of Syria's recognition uncertain under the new Syrian authorities.
Belarus declined to recognise the two territories despite sustained Russian lobbying. President Alexander Lukashenko said in June 2009 that Moscow had made recognition a condition for the final $500 million of a $2 billion loan, but insisted his country's position was not for sale. Russian officials denied any such linkage. The Belarusian parliament debated the question on multiple occasions, but as of the source's account, Belarus had still not granted recognition.