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Georgian troops flee a Russian bombardment in the town of Gori Saturday. (Reuters)
Last update - 02:07 10/08/2008
Putin defends Russia's Ossetia incursion, slams Georgia over 'genocide'
By News Agencies
Tags: Georgia, South Ossetia, Putin 

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Saturday defended his country's military actions in the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia, saying what was happening there was "genocide," news agencies reported.

Georgia, which has close ties with the West, and Russia came into direct conflict over the pro-Russian rebel region after Tbilisi launched an offensive earlier this week to regain control over it.

"Georgia's aspiration to join NATO... is driven by its attempt to drag other nations and peoples into its bloody adventures," Putin said during a meeting in the Russian city of Vladikavkaz. Parts of the meeting were shown on television.
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Georgia called for a cease-fire earlier on Saturday after Russian bombers widened their offensive to force back Georgian troops.

U.S. President George W. Bush said Russian attacks on Georgia marked a "dangerous escalation" of the crisis and urged Moscow to halt the bombing immediately.

Bush called his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday to express his concern over the violence, and to urge a return to what was the status quo prior to the outbreak of the fighting on August 6.

Bush initiated the call, but Medvedev explained to him that Georgia instigated the fighting by attacking Russian citizens. "In the wake of barbaric actions planned and carried out by Georgian authorities, we are seeing thousands of victims, tens of thousands of refugees and massive destruction," said Medvedev.

Medvedev stressed to Bush that Russia's goal is to end the violence immediately, protect Russian citizens and return peace to the region. He said the way to achieve this is by encouraging Georgia to withdraw its forces from the disputed region and to sign a cease-fire agreement.

The Russian president expressed the hope that the U.S. and other countries who expressed concern over the situation would work "in this direction."

Russia said it had seized the rebel capital, Tskhinvali, but Georgia denied the claim on the second day of fighting that threatens oil and gas pipelines seen as crucial in the West.

Russian officials said the death toll now stood at 2,000 and 30,000 refugees from South Ossetia had fled to Russia over the past 36 hours. Russia said two of its warplanes had been shot down, 13 of its soldiers killed and 70 wounded.

Meanwile, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Saturday called for "an immediate cease-fire," saying that, "Russia has launched a full scale military invasion of Georgia."

But Russian officials said there could be no talks until Georgian forces pulled back.

Moscow's military response to the crisis dramatically intensified a long-running stand-off between Russia and the pro-Western Georgian leadership that has sparked alarm in the West and led to angry exchanges at the United Nations reminiscent of the Cold War.

Abkhazia, another pro-Russian enclave in Georgia, said its forces had begun an operation to drive out Georgian forces, possibly opening a second front against Tbilisi.

Bush said Georgia's territorial integrity must be respected.

"The attacks are occurring in regions of Georgia far from the zone of conflict in South Ossetia. They mark a dangerous escalation in the crisis," said Bush, who is attending the Olympics in Beijing.

Georgia's parliament approved a state of war across the country for the next 15 days, while Russia accused the West of contributing to the violence by supplying Georgia with arms.

Ukraine, a former Soviet republic whose pro-Western government now wants membership of NATO and the European Union, had encouraged Georgia to carry out "ethnic cleansing" in South Ossetia, the Russian foreign ministry said.

A Russian journalist said the South Ossetian capital had been badly damaged. "The town is destroyed. There are many casualties, many wounded," Zaid Tsarnayev told Reuters from Tskhinvali.

Russian jets carried out up to five raids on mostly military targets around the Georgian town of Gori, close to the conflict zone in South Ossetia, a Reuters reporter at the scene said. At least one bomb hit an apartment block, killing 5 people.

A woman knelt in the street and screamed over the body of a dead man as the bombed apartment block burned nearby. Another old woman covered in blood stared into the distance and a man knelt by the road, his head in his hands.

In Tbilisi, people were nervous but defiant. Most supported Saakashvili but had been shocked by the Russian reaction.

"To fight Russia is crazy," said music studio owner Giga Kvenetadze, 30. "But I do support Saakashvili ... And what Russia is doing is wrong. They must stop."

Georgia said Russian planes had targeted a vital pipeline that carries oil to the West from Asia but had missed.

Russian troops poured into South Ossetia on Friday, hours after Georgia launched a major offensive aimed at restoring control over the province.

Russia is the main backer of South Ossetian separatists and the majority of the population, who are ethnically distinct from Georgians, have been given Russian passports.

Georgia was planning to bring its Iraq contingent of 2,000 soldiers home as soon as the United States can provide transport, the commander of the unit said on Saturday.

Each side blamed the other for the outbreak of fighting in the pro-Moscow enclave, which broke from Georgia when the Soviet Union was nearing collapse in the early 1990s.

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      1.   The end of Saakashvili 13:40  |  Boris 08/08/08
      2.   I am guessing 13:43  |  Mrs. Whale from USA 08/08/08
      3.   The end of Saakashvili 14:28  |  Boris 08/08/08
      4.   South Ossetia is Georgian !!! 16:49  |  Touareg 08/08/08
      5.   When did Georgia and the U.S. become allies? 16:50  |  Wendy 08/08/08
      6.   Georgia will lose this... 16:51  |  UN MAN 08/08/08
      7.   Mrs. Whale from USA 17:27  |  Mark B. 08/08/08
      8.   on a grand scale - it is better for Gergia to win 17:34  |  mike 08/08/08
      9.   # 2 That is because the US has heavily invested 17:49  |  Kris Lazar 08/08/08
      10.   UN convenes to condemn settlements 17:54  |  Ilan 08/08/08
      11.   Quick War 18:46  |  Fred McCann 08/08/08
      12.   More to come? 18:50  |  Baibars 08/08/08
      13.   Where are the left wing protesters now?? 19:00  |  James 08/08/08
      14.   Interesting Precedent 19:28  |  Jeff Northridge 08/08/08
      15.   The Russian bear against the Georgian chipmonk 19:49  |  Murray the Mongoose 08/08/08
      16.   Flawed comparison #3 20:39  |  Sadiq M 08/08/08
      17.   This was a war that was LAUNCHED BY Georgia 21:14  |  Truth 08/08/08
      18.   sadiq is quite on mark. 21:40  |  Magnus Kragset 08/08/08
      19.   No 12 - Flawed comparison 21:42  |  New Yorker 08/08/08
      20.   Stupid attack on innocent civilians 21:43  |  Christian Wright 08/08/08
      21.   Fred Mc Cann # 7 22:09  |  Philippe 08/08/08
      22.   It`s only OK for the Russians to invade Georgia... 23:02  |  Boris 08/08/08
      23.   # 7 fred 23:28  |  Axel 08/08/08
      24.   # 10 jeff and fabricating precedents 23:40  |  Axel 08/08/08
      25.   The Georgians should grant to the Ossetians and 23:54  |  Jew- and Bookburner 08/08/08
      26.   I`m Not Taking Sides 23:54  |  Yosemite 08/08/08
      27.   Misleading headline 00:09  |  Axel 09/08/08
      28.   # 6 ilan 00:27  |  Axel 09/08/08
      29.   Israels cardinal mistake 00:29  |  Louis 09/08/08
      30.   we too no longer have an army. they are peacemakers. 00:34  |  ralph 09/08/08
      31.   The Kashmir of the Russians 00:55  |  CitizenofUSA 09/08/08
      32.   # 10 jeff`s failing analogy 01:48  |  Axel 09/08/08
      33.   yes or no 02:16  |  Arie 09/08/08
      34.   Bush/McCaine, Israel, NATO = More War! 02:27  |  Maureen Ann 09/08/08
      35.   # 32 arie 02:38  |  Axel 09/08/08
      36.   # 33 maureen 02:49  |  Axel 09/08/08
      37.   Axel-So please carify 03:05  |  Arie 09/08/08
      38.   Axel and fabricating precedents 03:08  |  Arie 09/08/08
      39.   To Boris and alike. 03:24  |  Vital 09/08/08
      40.   kosovo to your own backyard 03:43  |  syd 09/08/08
      41.   When did Georgia and the U.S. become allies? 04:12  |  Andy 09/08/08
      42.   Vital (post 39, I think. Haaretz sometimes alters the list 04:54  |  Magnus Kragset 09/08/08
      43.   Russia is showing its teeth! 05:05  |  Persian Hero 09/08/08
      44.   HA HA HA, like i predicted, lmfao 05:20  |  VIPER 09/08/08
      45.   RUSSIA CAN QUOTE ISRAEL, and get away with it 05:23  |  VIPER 09/08/08
      46.   i warned you and i warned you, watch what happens 05:33  |  VIPER 09/08/08
      47.   Viper, please do respond... 06:38  |  Magnus Kragset 09/08/08
      48.   Viper So You Posted Something So What! 06:55  |  Yosemite 09/08/08
      49.   A RUSSIAN MILITARY COMMANDER ACCUSES ISRAEL 07:14  |  BigBadJohn 09/08/08
      50.   No 39 - Vital 07:20  |  K 09/08/08
      51.   According to Wold News Reports Haaretz Story is Misleading 07:32  |  Joe Momma 09/08/08
      52.   Bigbadjohn 07:46  |  Magnus Kragset 09/08/08
      53.   Georgian Massacre will be overlooked 08:15  |  MiddleStanian 09/08/08
      54.   Jewish Motto: By deceit shall thou wage War 08:58  |  lydia 09/08/08
      55.   Philippe, Excellent Analogy and Well Said 09:09  |  Absolutely Canadian 09/08/08
      56.   Axel your disgracing your Country 09:11  |  Fred 09/08/08
      57.   15 Murray 09:39  |  Vadim 09/08/08
      58.   Still-President IMPOTENT 10:00  |  Mark of Lewiston 09/08/08
      59.   To 42 The West is weak like before WWII.. 10:05  |  Vital 09/08/08
      60.   This is just the beginning 10:11  |  Yonatan 09/08/08
      61.   Somehow I am reminded of August 1914 10:18  |  Yonatan 09/08/08