Russian and Georgian troops move into South Ossetia

Russian and Georgian troops were heading towards a clash in the breakaway province of South Ossetia today.

Russian columns moved into the area hours after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned Georgia it faced retaliation for its attacks there.

Meanwhile Georgian troops launched a major military offensive to regain control of the region.

Russian television showed a convoy of Russian tanks which it said was expected to reach the provincial capital Tskhinvali in a few hours.

The move followed a series of statements by Russian leaders pledging to protect Russian citizens in the region in the face of a massive Georgian military attack on South Ossetia where most of the population have Russian citizenship.

The fighting is the worst outbreak of hostilities since the province won de-facto independence in a war that ended in 1992, raising fears that war could once again erupt and draw in Russia, which has peacekeepers in the region.

Some villagers were today fleeing across the border to Russia.

“I saw them (the Georgians) shelling my village,” said a woman who would only give her name as Maria.

She said she and other villagers spent the night in a field and then fled toward the Russian border as the fighting escalated.

Separatist officials in South Ossetia said 15 civilians had been killed in fighting overnight. Georgian officials said seven civilians were wounded in bombing raids by Russia.

Mr Putin, in Beijing to attend the Olympic opening ceremony, said an unspecified number of the peacekeepers have been wounded.

Georgia declared a three-hour cease-fire from noon BST to allow civilians to leave Tskhinvali.

The fighting was condemned around the world.

A spokesman for President Bush said Russia and Georgia should cease hostilities and hold talks to end the conflict. Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said he was seriously concerned about the fighting and that the alliance was closely following the situation.

Georgia, which borders the Black Sea between Turkey and Russia, was ruled by Moscow for most of the two centuries preceding the break-up of the Soviet Union. The country has angered Russia by seeking Nato membership which Moscow regards as part of a Western effort to weaken its influence in the region.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has vowed to restore Tbilisi’s rule over South Ossetia and another breakaway province, Abkhazia. Both regions have run their own affairs without international recognition since splitting from Georgia in the early 1990s and built up ties with Moscow.

n this image, made from television broadcasted by Russian First Channel, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili addresses the nation from Tbilisi on Friday, Aug. 8, 2008. Georgia launched a massive attack Friday to regain control over South Ossetia, using heavy artillery, aircraft and armor. South Ossetian officials said at least 15 people were killed Friday and an unspecified number were wounded. (AP Photo/ First Channel)