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Russian troops raid Georgian town; Russians claim 2,000 dead, 30,000 flee By The Associated Press and Reuters OUTSIDE TSKHINVALI, Georgia - Russian tanks rumbled into the separatist Georgian province of South Ossetia yesterday and Russian warplanes bombed a Georgian town, in a major surge in border fighting that has killed hundreds of civilians in just two days and left some towns in smoldering ruins. Russian officials said the death toll now stood at 2,000 and 30,000 refugees from South Ossetia had fled over the border to Russia over the past 36 hours. Georgian officials said that on its side, 129 Georgians had been killed and 748 injured. Advertisement Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Moscow sent troops into South Ossetia to force Georgia into a cease-fire and to prevent Georgia from retaking control of its breakaway region. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Georgia had effectively lost the right to rule it - an indication Moscow could be preparing to fulfill South Ossetians' wish to be absorbed into Russia. U.S. President George Bush called for an end to the Russian bombings and an immediate halt to the violence, while Georgia's president said the invasion reflected Russia's belief it could do whatever it wanted to its smaller neighbors. "This is 100 percent, unprovoked brutal Russian invasion. This is about annihilation of a democracy on their borders," Georgia President Mikhail Saakashvili told the BBC. "We on our own cannot fight with Russia. We want immediate cease-fire, immediate cessation of hostilities, separation of Russia and Georgia and international mediation." Medvedev's office said yesterday evening that Russia had not received the Georgian cease-fire proposal. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived late yesterday in the Russian city of Vladikavkaz to talk to South Ossetian refugees who had fled the fight. He said there were at least 34,000 refugees. "The actions of the Georgian powers in South Ossetia are, of course, a crime - first of all against their own people," Putin said. "The territorial integrity of Georgia has suffered a fatal blow." Russia, which has granted citizenship to most South Ossetians, also laid much of the responsibility for ending the fighting on Washington, which has trained Georgian troops. Washington, in turned, blamed Russia. "I'm deeply concerned about the situation in Georgia," Bush said in a statement to reporters while attending the Olympic Games in Beijing. "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. "We have urged an immediate halt to the violence and a stand-down by all troops. We call for an end to the Russian bombings, and a return by the parties to the status quo," the statement said. White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Bush had spoken with both Medvedev and Saakashvili. But it was unclear what might persuade either side to stop shooting - both claim the other violated a cease-fire declared Thursday. Georgia was ruled by Moscow for most of the two centuries preceding the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union. Georgia has angered Russia by seeking NATO membership - a bid Moscow regards as part of a Western effort to weaken its regional influence. In another ominous development yesterday, the chances of an even wider war in the Caucasus region increased when Russian-supported separatists in Abkhazia - another breakaway region of Georgia - also targeted Georgian troops by launching air and artillery strikes to drive them out. Bookmark to del.icio.us   A Model Zionist How did Bar Rafaeli conquer the U.S. blogs and gossip columns? A lost pillar Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish to be laid to rest in Ramallah, mourned for 3 days.

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