A woman gestures, as she rides in a car, Tuesday in Tskhinvali, the capital of Georgia's separatist-controlled territory of South Ossetia, as local residents celebrate Medvedev's signing of the decree recognizing the independence of the breakaway Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Defying the United States and Europe, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced Tuesday he has signed a decree recognizing the independence of the breakaway Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Mikhail Metzel