Meanwhile, the narrow highway that links the enclave to Russia is plagued by avalanches and impassable for much of the winter. Even in good weather, shipments coming from the north are vulnerable to theft and diversion. Charles King, an expert on the region, said South Ossetia long served as a “gigantic magnet for contraband” passing between Russia and Georgia, economically dependent on informal taxes levied on shipments.

“If someone is trying to send physical aid to South Ossetia, it’s very likely that it’s going to go missing,” said Mr. King, author of “The Ghost of Freedom: A History of the Caucasus.”

Whatever the reasons, progress has been slow. A report released in December by Russia’s federal auditing agency found that of about $55 million in priority aid pledged by Russia, only about $15 million had been delivered and only $1.4 million spent. It also found that of 111 structures scheduled for renovation by the end of 2008, 8 had been completed and 38 had not yet been touched.

Image Some projects are under way in Tskhinvali, but the pace has been slowed by many problems, the enclaves president said. Credit... James Hill for The New York Times

The same month, a former South Ossetian defense minister who is a political rival of Mr. Kokoity’s, Anatoly Barankevich, told the Russian daily newspaper Kommersant that local officials had diverted 3,200 tons of cement and nearly 200,000 square feet of glass intended to repair citizens’ homes before winter. Mr. Kokoity denied the report, telling the newspaper that “certain pro-Georgian forces are trying to discredit South Ossetia in the eyes of Russia and Russians.”

The delays have become a headache for Mr. Kokoity, who was met with roars of adulation last summer when Moscow formally recognized his government. Meeting with foreign journalists in Tskhinvali, he said the process had been slowed by dishonest subcontractors chosen after the war by the Russian Ministry of Regional Development. Authorities say that they have spent only $42 million of the roughly $280 million in pledged Russian money and that the pace will speed up now that a more effective system of financial controls is in place.

“We are responsible to every citizen of the Russian Federation to ensure that this money is used in a full manner,” Mr. Kokoity said. “Better let it stay in the Ministry of Finance than let sleazy people get their hands on it.”