THE Georgian city of Gori is under "massive" attack from Russian artillery and planes and ground forces are preparing for an assault, according to the Georgian interior ministry. “There was massive bombing of Gori all evening and now we are getting reports of an imminent attack by Russian tanks,” interior ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said.
“Gori is being bombed massively from the air and from artillery as well.”
About 65km northwest of the Georgian capital Tbilisi, Gori is just south of the border with the rebel region of South Ossetia, which has seen fierce fighting between Russian and Georgian forces in recent days.
It is the largest Georgian town close to the region and an important strategic link between eastern and western Georgia.
Mr Utiashvili said Russian troops were preparing a ground assault.
They “are not there yet but it looks like they are getting ready for it,” he said, adding that Georgian forces were returning fire on Russian positions.
A spokesman for Russia's defence ministry said he could neither confirm nor deny the report.
The Russian army entered South Ossetia last week to repel a Georgian attempt to retake the province, which broke from central control in a war in the early 1990s.
Russian planes have since bombarded a number of sites around Georgia.
- AFP
Poster Comment:
Georgia is completely toast, a total loss.