Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia seeks vote on joining Russia

People walk near a billboard, showing President of the breakaway region of South Ossetia Leonid Tibilov during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Leningori (or Akhalgori), in the breakaway region of South Ossetia, Georgia, July 6, 2015. REUTERS/Kazbek Basaev

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia said it plans a Crimean-style referendum on joining Russia, drawing a furious riposte from Tbilisi over a move that risks inflaming the Kremlin's already frayed relations with the West.

Leonid Tibilov, president of the self-declared republic of South Ossetia, said he had laid out the plans during a meeting with Vladislav Surkov, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest advisers, on Monday.