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Georgia 'overrun' by Russian troops as full-scale ground invasion begins
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Georgian officials tonight claimed the country had been 'overrun' by Russian troops after a full-scale ground invasion.
Amid reports that Moscow forces had taken the town of Gori - and were marching on the capital Tsblisi - Georgian soldiers appeared to be in full retreat.
Troops were apparently in complete chaos as a full-scale rout pushed them back through the countryside.
Meanwhile, the civilian crisis intensified with thousands of refugees fleeing the seemingly unstoppable advance of the Russian army.
An unidentified Georgian woman cries after finding out that her child was killed in a neighbouring village, in the town of Gori
Around 9,000 soldiers and 350 tanks had been massing at a base in the border region of Abkhazia throughout the day.
But the huge force has now moved into Georgia proper, demolishing hopes of a rapid solution to an increasingly bitter conflict.
The invasion comes as Gordon Brown urges Russia to call a ceasefire.
The Prime Minister warned Russia there was 'no justification' for its military action in Georgia.
Residents of Gori wait to receive humanitarian aid from local authorities as Russia called today for Georgian forces to surrender in the separatist enclave of Abkhazia
Mr Brown issued a strongly-worded statement after Georgia backed an EU peace plan for the breakaway province of South Ossetia amid continued fighting.
'There is no justification for continued Russian military action in Georgia, which threatens the stability of the entire region and risks a humanitarian catastrophe,' he said.
'There is an immediate and pressing need to end the fighting and disengage all military forces in South Ossetia.
'The Georgian government has offered a ceasefire, which I urge the Russians to reciprocate without delay.'
Meanwhile, intense shelling continued in the breakaway region of South Ossetia where hostilities broke out last Friday.
There were also conflicting reports that Russian troops had overrun the city of Gori while Georgian forces were concentrating on holding Mtskheta, 15 miles from the capital.
On the move: Russian troops wind along a road near the border between North and South Ossetia amid fears of a ground invasion
Retaliation: Russian forces secure the area in the Khurcha settlement in breakaway region of Abkhazia
Earlier in the day, Russian premier Vladimir Putin raised the stakes over the conflict by lashing out at the U.S. as the fighting continued to escalate in the region.
The Russian prime minister rejected calls from Georgia for a ceasefire and declared that his country would pursue its mission to its 'logical conclusion'.
A day after a face-to-face meeting with President George W. Bush in Beijing who expressed 'grave concern', Mr Putin accused the U.S. of siding with Georgia by ferrying Georgian troops from Iraq to the battle zone.
'It is a shame that some of our partners are not helping us but, essentially, are hindering us,' said Mr Putin. 'The very scale of this cynicism is astonishing.'
Russian Defence ministry spokeswoman Nana Intskerveli confirmed tanks had seized a Georgian military base in the western town of Senaki.
The statement indicated Russian troops had entered the region from a second rebel province of Abkhazia, where troops have been massing since the weekend.
[link to www.dailymail.co.uk]
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