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Georgia, Russia conflict escalates

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-10 09:08

OUTSIDE TSKHINVALI, Georgia -- Russia and US-allied Georgia headed toward a wider war Saturday as Russian tanks entered into the contested province of South Ossetia and Russian aircraft bombed a Georgian town, escalating a conflict that already has left hundreds dead.

Georgian soldiers evacuate their base after a Russian bombardment in Gori, 80 km (50 miles) from Tbilisi, August 9, 2008. [Agencies]

Georgia's Foreign Ministry said the country was "in a state of war" and accused Russia of beginning a "massive military aggression." The Georgian parliament approved a state of martial law, mobilizing reservists and ordering government authorities to work round-the-clock.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that Moscow sent troops into South Ossetia to force Georgia into a ceasefire and prevent Georgia from retaking control of its breakaway region after it launched a major offensive there overnight Friday.

Related readings:  Georgia parliament approves a 'state of war'  Bush: Attacks on Georgia 'dangerous'  Georgia reports new air attacks at military bases  US calls for ceasefire in Georgia

In a meeting with refugees, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin characterized Georgia's military actions as "complete genocide," according to his office's website. Putin also said Georgia had effectively lost the right to rule the breakaway province - an indication Moscow could be preparing to fulfill South Ossetians' wish to be absorbed into Russia.

On a separate occasion, US President Bush made an appeal for an end to the conflict, while attending the Beijing Olympics.

He warned of a dangerous escalation and the spread of attacks beyond the zone of conflict, saying the United States and its European allies will seek international mediation.

"The attacks are occurring in regions of Georgia far from the zone of conflict in South Ossetia. They mark a dangerous escalation in the crisis," Bush said in a statement to reporters.

Georgia President Mikhail Saakashvili called it an "unprovoked brutal Russian invasion."

Map of Georgia with data on the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has declared a "state of war" as his troops battled it out with Russian forces over the breakaway province of South Ossetia. [Agencies]

Saakashvili called for an immediate ceasefire in the breakaway province of South Ossetia, proposing "an immediate ceasefire and the beginning of the withdrawal of troops from the contact line."

Medvedev's office said Saturday evening that Russia had not received the Georgian ceasefire proposal.

Georgia, a US ally whose troops have been trained by American soldiers, launched the major offensive overnight Friday. Heavy rocket and artillery fire pounded the provincial capital, Tskhinvali, leaving much of the city in ruins.

It was the worst outbreak of hostilities since South Ossetia won de facto independence in a war against Georgia that ended in 1992.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters Saturday in Moscow that some 1,500 people had been killed in South Ossetia since Friday, with the death toll rising. The figures could not be independently confirmed.

But Tskhinvali residents who survived the bombardment by hiding in basements and later fled the city estimated that hundreds of civilians had died. They said bodies were lying everywhere.

Georgia, a country about the size of South Carolina that borders the Black Sea between Turkey and Russia, was ruled by Moscow for most of the two centuries preceding the breakup of the Soviet Union. Today, Russia has approximately 30 times more people than Georgia and 240 times the area.

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