On the question of what to do for the benefit of the civilians, my own opinion would be to approach it in the same way that Canada handles Quebec and the US handles Puerto Rico. If Quebec or Puerto Rico held a vote or a referendum about whether or not to remain a part of Canada or the United States, and if the majority of people voted to dissolve their union with those countries, this is what would be done.

The South Ossetians held a referendum to become independent from Georgia, and the majority of people there voted for independence. If Georgia was really an open and free democracy, instead of a puppet vassal state of the US empire, it would honor the results of the referendum.