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Any such incursion would be a dangerous escalation of a conflict that has already reportedly claimed thousands of lives and displaced thousands more. Russia, which said it moved into South Ossetia last week to protect pro-Russians there from "genocide" commited by Georgians, has now been accused of "ethnic cleansing" itself. Russia regained total control of Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, and Georgia offered a unilateral ceasefire as it withdrew all its troops. International opinion hardened against Russia, which has been roundly accused of a "disproportionate reaction" to Georgia's move into South Ossetia last week. Jim Jeffrey, the US's deputy...

TBILISI, Georgia — Russian tanks and troops moved through the separatist enclave of South Ossetia and advanced on the city of Gori in central Georgia on Sunday night, for the first time directly assaulting a Georgian city with ground forces after three days of heavy fighting, Georgian officials said. Georgian tanks were dug into positions outside Gori and planning to defend the city, said Shota Utiashvili, an official in Georgia’s interior ministry. He said the city of Gori was coming under artillery and tank fire. There was no immediate comment from Russia. A senior Western diplomat said it was unclear...

Build up: A column of Russian armoured vehicles head towards South OssetiaA bloodied woman lies injured in the ruins of an apartment block in Gori after another Russian air strikeAnguish: A man cradles the body of a relative in the street after Russian planes bomb homes in Gori, killing five peopleFleeing: A boy and a woman stare in terror at the carnage from a vehicle as they are evacuated from South OssetiaGeorgian soldiers stand near a lorry evacuating local residents from Avnebi, a Georgian enclave near Tskhinvali, in the breakaway Georgian province of South OssetiaDevastation: A Georgian tank burns after...