Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chair of the Kremlin’s security council, warned that Moscow might annex the Russian-backed breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia. In an opinion piece, Medvedev stated that the idea of joining Russia remains popular in these regions and could “quite possibly be implemented if there are good reasons for it.” Mr. Medvedev was President in 2008 when Russia recognized these two regions as independent.