The Russians deny an intent to push further into Georgia but observers tell a different story:
“They are on the central highway which links the east and west of Georgia. This is the situation. People are leaving their villages,” he told the Guardian.
“It’s a very bad situation. People are in panic. Nobody knows what to do. This road where the troops are is about 2kms from the city centre. It’s very near. The road is closed now.”
Russian troops also surged from the west from Abkhazia, Georgian officials said. They seized the towns of Kutaisy and Senaki and were also planning to advance on the Black Sea port of Poti.
“This is a classical full-scale invasion.” said Irakli Batkuashvili, the head of Georgia’s military planning division. “This is an occupation … half of Georgia is under Russian control. Our aim now is to to build up our troops and to create a defensive line in front of Tbilisi. We will fight defending Tbilisi.”
It was not clear tonight whether the Russian forces in the west and centre of Georgia intended to link up and advance on Tbilisi. News of the Russian advance sparked panic in the Georgian capital, with some foreign observers scrambling to pull out, refugees reportedly fleeing, and mobile phones jammed.
President Bush is due to make a statement at 5:15 EDT. The U.N. is also responding by doing what they do best – talking.
The Georgian War: Hundreds of Russian Troops Moving Towards Tbilisi – Russians Burning Homes and Looting
Apparently, the Russians are supposed to turn off the road to Tbilisi and head towards an abandoned Georgian military base: A convoy of Russian armored personnel carriers was heading deeper...
Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Launches Blogspot Blog
I can’t confirm that this blog was actually create by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia but it seems plausible given their inability (thanks to Russian hackers – state...
Georgian War: Richard Holbrooke and Ronald Asmus Mark “The End of an Era”
Richard Holbrooke and Ronald Asmus summarize the challenges presented by Russia’s actions in Georgia: This moment could well mark the end of an era in Europe during which realpolitik and...
Georgian War: Poti Closed Off – Gori Falls – Country “Cut in Half”
The situation is bleak: Russia’s over-running of Senaki, a town 25 miles inland from Poti, has effectively shut down the country’s biggest commercial port. The move will, officials say, starve...
Video: Georgians Protest Russian Invasion
The video creator writes: Here, we stand together proving to the international society that Russia is THE enemy here. That Russia is bombing now, in these minutes nearly every region...
