Dateline: BUCHAREST

The Russian Ambassador to Latvia has warned Poland and the Baltic Countries that they may pay for their virulent criticisms of Russia, reports BNS. “One should not rush over such serious issues, lest important mistakes are committed, for which one will have to pay for a long time thereafter”, said Aleksandr Velchniakov, Russian Ambassador to Latvia.

Donald Tusk, Polish PM, issued an immediate response, calling Russia’s statement”irresponsible and aggressive”.

Russian troops have taken control of the major highway passing through Gori, and “split the country’s western part with the east”, declared Saakashvili some 30 minutes ago, quoted by Civil Georgia . Here are other excerpts from Saakashvili desperate’s speech:

Situation is extremely grave. This is occupation attempt, attempt to totally occupy Georgia, attempt to destroy Georgia.”

Russia goal is to put an end to existence of the Georgian state.

We are receiving only moral and humanitarian help from the international community, but we need more than that. We want them to stop this barbaric aggressor.

Georgians are now bracing for an all-out attack by Russia on Tbilisi, with the aim of forcing President Saakashvili to step down.

Italian diplomatic reactions following Russia’s invasion in Georgia so far have stood out within the UE. Earlier today, Italian FM Frattini said that Italy opposes the creation of a “European anti-Russian coalition”, adding that a EU condemnation of Russia would have negative effects for the whole of Europe.

In a later statement, Frattini said that Premier Berlusconi is exerting “moral pressure” over Putin, in an effort to end the conflict.

Of course, the story of Italy’s dependence on foreign oil and gas is well known. So is Italy’s general disinterest and awkwardness in matters of foreign affairs. But, in this case, to paraphrase Jacques Chirac’s infamous words, Italy “has missed a good opportunity to shut up.”

The NATO - Russia Council will convene tomorrow, at the request of Dmitri Rogozin, Russia’s Ambassador to NATO. The meeting will be held at ambassadorial level. [Source: AFP]

AFP, citing official Georgian government sources, say that Russian troops are now in control of Gori. Among confusing reports, the picture that emerges is the following: Russian troops have penetrated Georgian territory on two fronts [from Abkhazia and South Ossetia] and seem to be closing in on Tbilisi as the hours go by.

Worse, parts of the Georgian military seem to be left behind the front lines, in South Ossetia, and are now in danger of having of having supply lines cut by Russian forces. According to Georgian sources, all the troops are now regrouping around the capital Tbilisi. [Photo source: BBC]

Let’s have a quick look at international reactions to the conflict in Georgia. What we are interested in is how the West responded to Russia’s aggression in Georgia. As I am writing this, the conflict is still raging, so it is hard to extract myself from the events and provide a clear analysis. What follows is a short round-up of reactions, followed by brief comments:

- Eastern Europe and the Baltic states reacted strongly, condemning Russia’s aggression and pointing the finger at Moscow. Lithuania sent their FM, to Georgia Estonia is sending cyber attack specialists to help Georgia, entering the conflict in an interesting way [see article ]. In a courageous move, Ukraine warned that it would not allow Russian warships from returning to their base in Sevastopol.

- The US has gradually stepped up its rhetoric as the conflict escalated, warning Russia that its moves were disporportionate and threatening of a serious and long lasting cooldown of relations with Moscow. President Bush has come out strong to defend Georgia, but only in rhetoric.

- France, through the voice of President Nicolas Sarkozy, has shown true leadership inside the EU. Sarkozy reportedly had a tough exchange of words with Putin in Beijing, telling the Russian PM to retreat from Georgia. Paris sent in their FM into Georgia to mediate a peace agreement, which asked for Russian troops to retreat from S. Ossetia. As expected, the proposal was rejected by Russia. [see news ]

A few remarks. First, Eastern Europeans showed true courage and stood behind Georgia. A notable exception was Romania [the second largest country in the region, NATO and EU member, with significant military capabilities], who issued a bland statement more than 48 hours after the conflict outbreak.

Second, the US rhetoric is in line with its foreign policy line, but alas it cannot be matched by action. The State Department has made clear that the US will not intervene militarily in Georgia. This is due to its strong interests in Iran - the US has to make sure that Russia does not deliver S 300 missiles to Tehran, and cannot afford to make Moscow too upset. American interests in Iran supersede those in Georgia, and are compounded by worries of Russia’s ability to thwart US policies in other hot areas, most notably Afghanistan and Syria.

Third, and most importantly, France acted as a true European leader, taking a strong stance toward Russia. Witness to this is the recent announcement that President Sarkozy will visit Tbilisi tomorrow. From the point of view of EU diplomacy, it was lucky that the conflict erupted during the presidency of a large country like France.

More analysis will follow as the conflict unfolds.

In an unprecedented show of support for a Western leader, President Nicolas Sarkozy will pay a visit to Georgia. He is expected in Tbilisi on August 12.

The announcement was made a few minutes ago by President Mikheil Saakashvili

According to unconfirmed Georgian sources, Russian troops are now in control of the West Georgian town of Zugdidi, close to the Abkhazian border. Will be back with updates on this.

1750 [Tbilisi time]: Civil.ge confirms that Russian troops are now in control of Zugdidi! A representative of the Georgian Interior Ministry was quoted as saying:

The so called Russian peacekeeping forces [stationed in the conflict zone], as well as Russia’s regular army units entered into Zugdidi and they now control the local police headquarters.

[Georgian woman in Gori. Source: AP]

This morning I was woken up by a text message from Tbilisi: “Last night Tbilisi bombed! Aeroport and some places!” The information was later confirmed by other people in Tbilisi, who reported waking up to massive explosions, at 4:30.

During the past few hours, Russia has seemed to ease the pressure on Georgia - for now at a declaratory level. Medvedev declared to Interfax that military operations in Georgia are almost complete. Russian statements seem to indicate that Moscow is willing to end major operations following the securing of the South Ossetian territory. Yet, bombing of Georgian targets has continued. President Saakashvili had to interrupt an interview to flee to a bomb shelter, among aerial raids on Tbilisi.

The situation in Ossetia is still chaotic. Reports seem to indicate that, after heavy fighting last night, Georgian troops have been able to push back Russian forces that were closing in on Gori. Earlier today, an Ossetian source said Georgians had resumed offensive inside South Ossetia. If confirmed, this could mean that Russians have been forced to retreat north of the Ossetian boundary and are being pursued by Georgian forces.

Here is a video about Russian bombings on Tbilisi.

According to Romanian TV channel Realitatea, Saakashvili and French FM Bernard Kouchner had to be evacuated from Gori amid heavy Russian artillery fire. Watch the video here.