Source: NYTimes.com
Georgian and Russian troops fought fierce battles overnight as Russian tanks advanced toward the Georgian city of Gori before being driven back to the separatist enclave of South Ossetia with heavy casualties on both sides, Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili told reporters in a conference call on Monday.
Russia said on the contrary it was still battling Georgian troops that were continuing to attack South Ossetia and said it did not intend a broader offensive deeper into Georgia. However, in a sign that fighting could escalate on a second front in the west of Georgia, Russia issued an ultimatum to Georgian forces to surrender in and around the western pro-Russian separatist enclave of Abkhazia.
On Monday, Russian planes also bombed targets across Georgia, including roads and bridges, Mr. Saakashvili said before cutting his news conference short to flee to a bomb shelter because, he said, Russian planes were flying over the presidential palace in Tblisi, the Georgian capital.
A reporter in Gori, in central Georgia — where French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner was expected to arrive Monday as part of his European mission to attempt to mediate the conflict — reported seeing explosions in the fields around the city at around 12:35 p.m.
There was no evidence of bombing in civilian areas of Gori, but from high ground plumes of white smoke and clouds on the outskirts were visible. It was unclear whether the explosions were caused by air strikes or by shelling.
Mr. Kouchner was attempting to arrange a cease-fire. Mr. Saakashvili said Georgia had signed one, but “our ceasefire was so far met with fierce fire by the Russians.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it would sign a cease-fire only if Georgia pulled all of its troops out of South Ossetia and signed an agreement banning the use of force against the territory. Mr. Saakashvili has made reuniting Georgia with the territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia a centerpiece of his presidency.
In the west, Russian troops issued an ultimatum to Georgian forces in and around Abkhazia, calling for their surrender and saying that they would take any necessary measures to enforce it.
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