Russia accuses Georgia of violating cease-fire

Government forces battled separatists for strategic areas near South Ossetia’s main city as Georgia sought the upper hand in some of the worst fighting in the breakaway region since a war more than a decade ago.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry accused Georgia of violating cease-fire agreements and launching a large-scale offensive in an “unacceptable” effort to resolve the situation in South Ossetia by force.