
U.S. warns Russia to end Georgia onslaught
over fears Moscow will seize crucial oil
pipelines
Last updated at 1:03 AM on 11th August 2008
- U.S. 'warns' Russia to end its onslaught on Georgia
- Russian tanks attempting to cross into Georgia are turned back
- Russia claims it has sunk Georgian missile boat in Black Sea
- Georgia calls for a ceasefire in the stricken region
- Refugee crisis as 40,000 flee
that Moscow intends to seize the whole country to gain control of its
crucial oil pipelines.
fuel supplies running from the Caspian Sea to Europe through the small
country.

Despair: A woman holding her baby cries at her damaged home in Gori

A bloodied woman lies injured in the ruins of an apartment block in Gori after another Russian air strike
missile boat which was trying to attack its navy in the Black Sea;
landed in the country's other breakaway region, Abkhazia, to stir up
more trouble;
threatening to overwhelm its small neighbour, which has called for a
ceasefire.

Wounded South Ossetians stay in a hospital shelter in the South Ossetian capital of Tshinvali

Two women attempt to sleep after taking refuge in the hospital shelter
'The Russians need control over energy routes from central Asia and the Caspian Sea.
Every democratic movement in this neighbouring region must be got rid
of.'
Bush and Russian premier Mr Putin at the Olympics in Beijing, the White
House issued a stark warning about the threat of further Russian
aggression.

Forced to flee: Georgian women cry as they leave their village near Tskhinvali

An elderly woman leaves the conflict zone of South Ossetia, her belongings in boxes
and dangerous escalation on the Russian side continues, that this will
have a significant long-term impact on U.S.-Russian relations,' said
deputy national security adviser James Jeffrey.
Georgian interior ministry claims a group of Russian tanks attempted to
cross from South Ossetia into the territory of Georgia.

Two wounded Georgian soldiers receive treatment in a hospital in Tbilisi

South Ossetians stay in a school shelter in the South Ossetian capital of Tshinvali
capital Tbilisi, which is used by British Airways and other Western
airlines.
been aimed at the nearby military airport and an aviation construction
plant.

Bombardment: Forest near the town of Gori goes up in flames
Russian troops pass an abandoned car overloaded with belongings on the road to Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia
crisis, Mr Putin was bullish last night, blaming Georgia for creating a
'humanitarian catastrophe'.
village who claimed that Georgian soldiers herded 50 people into a
house and burned them alive.
region, implying the Russians were set for a long and probably
permanent occupation of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Anguish: A man cradles the body of a relative in the street after Russian planes bomb homes in Gori, killing five people
Outnumbered: Georgian troops ride on a pick-up truck
Georgia's military capability, which has been built up with Western
help.
staging post to South Ossetia - and around Tbilisi have been taken out
by the Russian air force.
but death and devastation was wreaked across the region, as well as in
cities in Georgia.
and military personnel had been killed and 1,165 wounded, many because
of Russian bombing.
heads and we could hear firing, though they didn't fire at us,' said a
driver.
South Ossetia to hospitals in neighbouring cities, all of which were
already overcrowded.
Russian television showed Tskhinvali's main hospital in ruins and most of the more than 230 patients crammed into the basement.
energy firms have counted on the pro-Western country - sandwiched
between Russia and Iran - to host a pipeline for oil and gas exports
from Azerbaijan.
already been halted via the Georgian ports of Batumi and Kulevi due to
the fighting.

Under attack: A destroyed Georgian tank is seen at a street in the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali

Under attack: Georgian soldiers in the town of Gori sprint past a block of flats destroyed by a Russian bomber
Russian peacekeepers drink beer at a checkpoint near the town of Tskhinvali, 62 miles from Tbilisi
raid near the 1,109-mile BTC pipeline, the world's second longest.
Ossetia, knowing that the smaller country could not win the resulting
conflict.
with pro-Russian populations which it would not allow to be controlled
by pro-Western states.
linguistically distinct from Georgia, and broke away from it during
brief wars in the early 1990s.

Walking wounded: An injured woman stands next to her home after a bombardment
Fleeing: A boy and a woman stare in terror at the carnage from a vehicle as they are evacuated from South Ossetia
Factfile:
Russia
- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said on Sunday that
more than 2,000 people, mostly Russian citizens, had died in the
conflict zone. - On Saturday Russian Ambassador to Georgia Vyacheslav
Kovalenko said at least 2,000 civilians had died in Tskhinvali alone as
a result of fighting between Russian and Georgian forces, according to
Interfax news agency. He said 13 Russian peacekeepers were killed and
up to 70 injured in the fighting. - Sergei Sobyanin, the Russian government chief of staff, said
30,000 South Ossetian refugees had fled to Russia since early on Friday.
Georgia
- Kakha Lomaia, the National Security Council secretary, said on
Sunday that 40 civilians killed and more than 200 wounded but gave no
details. - A source in the Georgian government told Reuters on Saturday 129 Georgian civilians and military were killed and 748 wounded.
- Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said Russian aerial bombing had killed around 30 Georgian soldiers.
- South Ossetia's President Eduard Kokoity on Friday said about 1,400 people had died in Tskinvali.