Day-by-day: South Ossetia crisis

The Georgian parliament approves a presidential decree declaring a "state of war".

Russia says its troops have wrested control of the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali from Georgian forces.

Russian planes attack military targets in the central town of Gori, close to South Ossetia. Russian bombs hit a residential area. Georgia reports 60 deaths.



Russian and separatist officials put the death toll on the South Ossetian side since Thursday at at least 1,400. Georgian casualty figures range from 82 dead, including 37 civilians, to a figure of around 130 dead.

The UN refugee agency believes that about 2,400 people have fled South Ossetia to other parts of Georgia, while between 4,000 and 5,000 have crossed the border into Russia.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says his country is seeking "to force the Georgian side to peace" while his Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, accuses Georgia of committing "genocide".

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili accuses Russia of seeking to "destroy" his country.

A delegation of peace envoys from the US, EU and Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) heads for Georgia.


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7551576.stm

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