Georgia and Russia at War

Georgia's incursion into South Ossetia has escalated significantly in the past 24 hours. Reuters reports that the Georgian parliament has approved a "State of War" between Georgia and Russia.

Heavy fighting continued overnight in and around the South Ossetian capital Tskinvali. Initialy Georgia claimed to have captured Tskinvali, however by this morning witnesses report that the capital is once more completely in the hands of the Russian backed separatists after Russia sent hundereds of troops to reinforce its peacekeeping force in the region.

Interfax reports that fighting still continues around Tskinvali with Georgian artilery continuing to shell Russian positions.

There are reports of heavy casualties, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a statement to the press today claimed 1,500 people have been killed since the fighting began on Friday. Reports are as yet unconfirmed however witnesses say Tskinvali has been completely destroyed by artilery from both sides.

Russian officials claim 30,000 refugees from the conflict have crossed the border to North Ossetia

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili today called for a ceasefire as the conflict escalates into Georgian territory.

Russian planes have carried out a number of bombing raids on sites within Georgia. Thousands of civilians are reported to be fleeing the Georgian city of Gori after a number of strikes destroyed appartment blocks in the city centre.

The Georgian port of Poti is reported to have been severly damaged following airstrikes by Russian planes last night.

Bombs also fell on Vaziani airbase a short distance from the Georgian capital Tbilisi.

Most concerning is reports coming in of airstrikes on Georgian positions in Kodori Gorge, a vital strategic territory in Georgia's other separatist region, Abkhazia which has been occupied by Georgian forces since 2001. The attack on the Gorge represents a broadening of the fronts on which the war is being fought and risks bringing the conflict to Abkhazia.

Reports coming from AP as I write indicate that the situation in Abkhazia is escalating as Abkhazian forces begin an operation in the Gorge to remove the Georgian military presence.

The Gorge along with Gali is one of the two major sites in Abkhazia that remain inhabited by a majority Georgian ethnic population.

At 1115 today, a state of Martial Law was declared by the Georgian Parliament. A curfew will be enforced and ID must be carried at all times. However at the time of writing few military personel are to be seen on the streets of Tbilisi.

Thousands of reservists have been called up to fight in the breakaway region. On Friday in Tbilisi young men gathered to be loaded on to buses and taken to bases near Gori.

Hundereds of Georgian nationalists filled the streets of Tbilisi yesterday, driving up and down the main thoroughfare waving flags and honking their horns. A group gathered outside the Russian Embassy and held a candle lit vigil to demonstrate against Russia.

Georgian media outlets are functioning sporadically or not at all. Last night the national broadcaster Rustavi2 ceased broadcasting and it's website is currently inaccessible. Another major news source Civil.ge a is also currently offline. Speculation is rife as to whether this is as a result of a Russian cyber attack such as that experienced by Estonia in 2007.