ரஷ்யா - ஜார்ஜியா போர்- 1000 பேருக்கு மேல் பலி

ஜார்ஜியாவிலிருந்து ஓசசியா என்ற மாநிலம் பிரிய முயன்றுள்ளது. அதனை தன் கட்டுப்பாட்டுக்குள் வைத்திருக்க அங்கு ஜார்ஜியா ராணுவத்தை அனுப்பியது. அந்த ராணுவம் மீது ரஷிய விமானங்கள் குண்டுமாரி பொழிந்துள்ளன.

ஓசசியா தலைவர்கள் இதுவரை ஆயிரத்துக்கு மேல் மக்கள் உயிரிழந்துள்ளதாக கூறுகின்றனர்.


Russia 'invades' Georgia as South Ossetia descends towards war
Russian tanks have entered Georgia's breakaway province of South Ossetia, pushing the troubled region closer to all-out war.
Last Updated: 6:16PM BST 08 Aug 2008

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World leaders have appealed for a ceasefire in the conflict, which erupted after Georgia launched a huge offensive aimed at imposing its control over the rebel province with its large Russian population.

Separatist leaders in the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali claim that more than a thousand people have been killed in Georgian shelling.

"We won't allow the death of our compatriots to go unpunished," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said, adding that he would "protect the lives and dignity of Russian citizens wherever they are located".

Georgia claims that Russian aircraft have bombed two of its airbases, and that it has shot down five Russian jets.

President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia described the situation as "war". "Russia is fighting a war with us in our own territory," he said in an interview with CNN.

Moscow has denied sending aircraft into Georgian territory, but indicated that its forces have engaged with Georgian troops.

Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, accused the Georgians of carrying out "ethnic cleansing" on the people of South Ossetia, most of whom have Russian passports.

The conflict threatens to draw in other world powers, with Mr Saakashvili considered a key ally of the West. The US has declared that it supports Georgia's "territorial integrity".

As a column of Russian tanks advanced towards Tskhinvali, Mr Lavrov called on the West to reach "the right conclusions" over the conflict, saying the Georgian offensive had been made possible by Western military aid to Tbilisi.

"Now we see Georgia has found a use for these weapons and for the special forces that were trained with the help of international instructors," he said.

"I think our European and American colleagues ... should understand what is happening. And I hope very much that they will reach the right conclusions."

The military operation marks the first time Russian troops have taken action on foreign soil since the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989.

Georgia has warned that any involvement of Russian forces in the conflict would result in a state of war between the two countries.

The Russian military reported that ten Russians were killed and 30 injured during Georgian shelling of their barracks, but Georgian officials denied firing on Russian peacekeepers in the area during their offensive in South Ossetia.