Dateline: BUCHAREST

President Saakashvili has ordered Georgian troops to withdraw from Tskhinvali, and called for a unilateral ceasefire. As could be predicted, the 18,000-strong Georgian military cannot be a match for the Russian military aggression. The whole story, here.

Saakashvili gambled, was tricked by Moscow, and is about to lose. It is now up to the West to save it.

Check out this photo gallery on the NY Times website, showing pictures from the conflict.

A lesson in propaganda: Russia Today has the word GENOCIDE splattered all across its screen. Watch a live stream here.

How do Russians support their claim? They say over 1600 civilians have died in South Ossetia, that Georgians have reduced Tskhinvali to ruins, destroyed 5 Ossetian villages, and have forced tens of thousands of South Ossetians to flee over the border. Georgia, Russians claim, has caused a humanitarian catastrophe in South Ossetia. Also, Russia denies having bombed targets inside Georgia.

The scale of propaganda and deceit by Russia does a lot to help assess the gravity of the situation, and should determine the West to take a firmer stance against Moscow.

For a different perspective, look at this interview by EurasiaNet, where a wounded Georgian soldier talks about Russian jet bombing Tskhinvali.

Edward Lucas shares his take on the ongoing conflict in Georgia. The author of ‘The New Cold War’ considers that Georgia has fallen into Russia’s trap and now faces a dire prospect. He rejects claims that the Tbilisi regime is undemocratic, and says that the West should stand behind Georgia, now more than ever. Interesting article, well worth the read.

As the conflict in Ossetia is nearing 48 hours since its outbreak, there are few signs indicating that the fighting may subside. On the contrary, every hour news agencies churn out new reports that talk about fresh escalation.

• This morning, Russian troops bombed several targets inside Georgia including. The town of Gori, the Black Sea port of Poti, a military base at the outskirts of Tbilisi, as well as major infrastructure in Georgia were hit by Russian airborne and land-based artillery fire. Russia is further turning the screw by deploying the Black Sea fleet to positions just outside the Abkhazian coast.
• The situation in Ossetia is uncertain. Depending on their source, reports will say that Russia [or Georgia] are in control of Tskhinvali, that Ossetian refugees are flowing north toward Vladikavkaz, that Georgians are generating a massive humanitarian crisis etc. What appears to be certain is that there is an information war paralleling the war on the ground. Who wins the information war may well be the same party that turns out as a winner from the actual conflict.
• Statements and positions. Saakashvili spoke again today, called on the international community and dennounced Russia’s aggression. Bush also came out with a statement, calling for an immediate ceasefire, the usual blah blah, this time in slightly stronger words. Poland asked for the EU to convoke an extraordinary summit to deal with the conflict, and stated [jointly with the Baltics] that Russia has now ‘crossed the line’ and must be openly opposed by the EU. Germany’s FM Steinmeier warns against the danger of regional spillover of the Ossetia conflict. OSCE Chairman Stubb [also Finnish FM] said expecations of a quick solutions should be kept low. ‘On a scale of one to 10, we are at about two’, he was quoted as saying.
• Danger of spillover. This afternoon, news channels were already reporting the emergence of a second front for Georgia, triggered by attacks from Abkhaz forces on border regions in Georgia. There is real danger for the trend to continue, and for Abkhazia turns ‘hot’.

Quick roundup: the situation in Georgia looks truly desperate. Tbilisi will face a dire catastrophe if the international community does not take clear actions toward stopping the hostilities. As I am writing this, EU, US and OSCE envoys are making their way to Georgia, to mediate a solution to the hostilities.

Russia Today, August 8

August 8
23:25 GMT - Georgia resumes intensive shelling of Tskhinvali’s residential quarters.

22:50 GMT - Heavy shelling reported in Tskhinvali.

22:00 GMT - Georgia resumes intensive fire on residential areas in Tskhinvali, the Peacekeepers’ commander says, reports TASS news agency.

21:27 GMT - South Ossetia’s military have downed a Georgian attack plane, the Russian Vesti television channel reports. The fall of the blazing plane was videotaped. The fate of the pilot remains unknown. Continue Reading »

According to sources inside Georgia, the country’s infrastructure has been seriously damaged by the conflict. Communication is impeded by the fact that the mobile phone networks have had their antenna towers damaged or destroyed by bombardments.

Major roads in Georgia have reportedly been bombed and are damaged, including the highway linking Tbilisi to Gori, and Tbilisi to the International Airport.These unofficial reports come on top of news of Russian attacks on the cities of Poti [Black Sea port] and Gori.