My bad, I assumed it was Ukraine that was doing the insulting, not Georgia. These buffer zones between countries frequently have a mix of nationalities, like the linguistic divide between the French and Dutch in Belgium. I remember being stopped on the outskirts of Brussels by a student speaking bad French to get directions, my partner speaking French but switching to Dutch on realising the problem and explaining the solution. Not understanding either of them I had to ask in English what it was all about, compounding the confusion. I am so jealous of people who have a grasp of more than one language.
Needless to say the French speakers and Dutch speakers in Belgium are notoriously hostile to one another. My understanding is that, as in the Catalan area in Spain, rival economic groups are at the heart of the independence struggle.
I have seen a documentary about the problems in Osetia and while I do not grasp the subtlety of the rival fraction claims I would guess money, land or resources are at the root of matters. Mr Putin seems to have responded to the insults in an adult matter, whether the rogue reporter you posted about will have an ‘accident’ at some point, who can say. Given his intemperate language I can’t say it will be much of a loss to humanity, just my point of view.