Русская версияThe war between Russian and Georgia expanded on Saturday morning,
with fighting spilling outside the Caucasus province of Ossetia,
and both sides moving reinforcements to the region.
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Medvedev (center) met with his national security council on
Saturday
"Our peacekeepeers and reinforcement units are currently running an
operation to force the Georgian side to (agree to) peace," Russian
news agencies quoted Medvedev as saying at a meeting with Defense
Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.
"They are also responsible for
protecting the population. That's what we are doing now."
The fiercest fighting was in the South Ossetian city of Tskhinvali,
where street fighting and artillery exchanges continued
sporadically throughout the night. Intense howitzer and tank fire
in the vicinity of the town was audible by mid-morning on Saturday,
Aug. 9.
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A South Ossetian holds part of a projectile following a Georgian
strike
Georgian television showed images of hundreds of rockets and heavy
artillery shells crashing into Tskhinvali. Shelling reduced entire
city blocks to rubble, according to eyewitnesses. Counts of
civilian casualties varied widely, with Georgia estimating between
one and two dozen killed, and some 100 injured as of Friday
evening.
Eduard Kokoity, South Ossetia's leader, claimed more than 1,400
civilians had died and implied thousands more had been injured.
Eyewitnesses said many victims lost their lives when caught out in
the open by artillery fire as they attempted to flee. Georgian
television showed images of corpses sprawled along sidewalks and
streets, in some cases still holding luggage.
15 Russians killed
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Many homes have been destroyed
Russian army losses, primarily to a peacekeeping unit stationed in
South Ossetia when intense fighting broke out, were admitted at 15
soldiers killed and 22 seriously injured, the Kremlin said.
Georgian military losses were not being reported. Georgian
television showed images of a small trickle of Georgian casualties
moving to rear areas aboard jeeps and pick up trucks.
Control of Tskhinvali appeared disputed on Saturday, with Georgian
officials asserting total control of the city, and Kremlin sources
saying Russian peacekeeper infantry - a unit of 2,500 men strong
before the fighting began -- continued to hold out in Tskhinvali's
south.
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People fled South Ossetia on Friday
Refugees were leaving the region and heading north towards the
Russian border throughout the night, at times under Georgian
artillery fire.
Georgian forces late on Friday ceased fire for some three hours to
allow civilians to leave, but according to Russian observers
Georgian shelling interdicted roads leading north throughout the
night.
Claims and counter-claims
Georgia by Saturday had claimed it had shot down five Russian
airplanes, an allegation denied by Russia. Russia claimed it had
destroyed two Georgian aircraft, but there was no independent
confirmation. Russia and Georgia announced halts to civilian air
traffic effective Saturday.
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Spokesmen for Russia's 58th Army said regular army forces,
including two tank columns, had been arriving in the region
throughout the night, at times under Georgian artillery fire, and
that a counteroffensive to eject Georgian troops from the city was
being planned.
"We are preparing to re-establish the peace," said Igor
Konashenkov, a Russian army spokesman, according to Interfax. Any
Georgian counter-fire would, according to Konashenkov "be violently
suppressed...by Russian artillery and aircraft." He added that
Spetsnaz, an elite commando unit, was en route to Ossetia and would
arrive "within the next few hours."
(Deutsche Welle)
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