Destruction in Georgia
צילום: AP
Georgian troops leave Abkhazia, Russia enters Gori
Security council head says Georgian soldiers completely driven from separatist province; 50 Russian tanks enter Gori
The head of Georgia's national security council said Wednesday that 50 Russian tanks had entered the strategic Georgian city of Gori, and another top Georgian official said his country's.
Alexander Lomaia said that the tanks entered Gori about 9:45 am, about eight hours after Georgia accepted a ceasefire previously agreed to by Russia to end a conflict that broke out last week.
Independent confirmation of Lomaia's claim was not immediately possible.
The ceasefire agreement calls for both Georgian and Russian forces to retreat to the positions they held before the fighting over the separatist region of South Ossetia began.
Gori, which sits on Georgia's only significant east-west road, is about 15 miles over the South Ossetian border into Georgia.
Temur Yakobashvili, the Cabinet minister for reintegration, said Wednesday that Georgian troops had been driven by Russian forces from the small part of Abkhazia they had held.
A Russian general on Tuesday said the Georgians had been driven out but by separatist forces and not the Russian military.
