An armoured vehicle on fire in the separatist capital of South Ossetia Tskhinvali is seen in this image from television footage by RTR Russian Television Channel, Aug. 8, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    MOSCOW, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Units of the Russian Airborne Forces have entered the region of South Ossetia, confirmed Russian Army Assistant Commander Col. Igor Konashenkov on Saturday.

    "Units from the 76th Airborne Division from Pskov arrived in South Ossetia on board standard military vehicles early in the morning," Interfax news agency cited Konashenkov as saying.

    Additional units of 76th Airborne Division and units of paratroopers from Ivanovo and the Moscow region will arrive there soon, he said, adding that tank and artillery units will be added to the airborne troops for reinforcement.

    The arriving troops know the region well since more than once they participated in various maneuvers conducted by the Russian Defense Ministry, Konashenkov said.

Medvedev: Russian troops to force Georgians to cease fire

    MOSCOW, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday that the country's troops have started a military operation in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia to force Georgian troops to cease fire.

Georgian troops fire rockets at a South Ossetian territory near a settlement in Ergneti, 95 km (59 miles) from Tbilisi, Aug. 8, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    "Our peacekeepers along with reinforcement units are currently conducting an operation to force the Georgian side to accept peace. They are also responsible for protecting the population," Medvedev told Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov in the Kremlin. Full story

Georgia, South Ossetia exchange fire again

    MOSCOW, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Georgian armed forces traded gunfire with militants of the breakaway region of South Ossetia near the regional capital Tskhinvali overnight Thursday into Friday, and South Ossetia said the number of fatalities is estimated at over 1, 000.

    The conflict erupted not long after Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said he was offering South Ossetia a ceasefire following days of clashes.  Full story

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