Forces in South Ossetia shot down an unmanned Georgian spy plane, the interior minister of the separatist-held region said today.

Residents of Gori began returning to their homes today, two weeks after fleeing as Russian forces bore down on the strategic Georgian city.

Russia expanded its bombing blitz today against Georgia, targeting the country’s capital for the first time.

Russia sent hundreds of tanks and troops into the separatist province of South Ossetia and bombed Georgian towns today in a major escalation of the conflict that has left scores of civilians dead and wounded.

Georgian forces fired at a plane they believe was Russian over Georgian territory earlier this week and may have brought it down, a Georgian official said today.

International experts from the United States, Sweden and other nations travelled to Tbilisi today as part of the investigation into Georgia’s claims that a Russian aircraft violated Georgian airspace and dropped or fired a missile that landed near a village.

Georgia today accused Russia of “undisguised aggression”, saying two Russian fighter jets intruded on its airspace and fired a missile that landed just feet from a house.