Courtesy BBC News
Georgian troops are nearing the capital of the separatist region of South Ossetia after a night of heavy shelling and air strikes on rebel positions.
Fighting around Tskhinvali resumed just hours after both sides agreed to a ceasefire and Russian-mediated talks.
Georgia says its aim is to finish “a criminal regime” and restore order.
An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council failed to agree on a Russian statement calling on both sides to renounce the use of force.
At least 15 people are reported to have been killed and three Russian peacekeepers are among the wounded. Both sides blame each other for breaking the ceasefire.
Georgia’s Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze told reporters on Friday the military operations would continue until there was “a durable peace”.
“As soon as a durable peace takes hold we need to move forward with dialogue and peaceful negotiations,” he told reporters.
South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity told Interfax news agency his forces were still in control of the city, but Georgia claims to have Tskhinvali surrounded.
Russian fighters
The Russian envoy to the UN, Vitaliy Churkin, described Georgia’s actions as “treacherous”.
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