Dateline: BUCHAREST

[Provided data is operational and may be subject to verification. Information comes from the Government of Georgia.]

Timeline by 13th of August 22:00

21:20 Russian troops begane pooling back towards north from the Tbilisi – Poti highway in Gori district. They still stay in town Gori
21:10 First cargo plane organized by American Military landed in Tbilisi International Airport.
21:00 Reports of eyewitness continue to come to police stations about atrocities and crimes committed by South Ossetian separatist forces.
20:12 Population of villages Breti and Aradeti, Kareli district is leaving their villages and moving towards Tbilisi. Ossetian separatists are robbing these villages.Reported by: Naili Gachechiladze
18:00 Russian soldiers have robbed drivers of the Turkish travel company, taking their buses.

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Earlier reports of Georgian police being allowed back into Gori are now being denied by our sources on the Ground. According to an eyewitness, police forces were told to leave the city, and Russian troops resumed control of Gori. Apparently, the same situation is happening in Poti.

These confusing reports paint a strange picture of the situation in Georgia. This may be due to flaws in the Russian chain of command, or to deliberate attempts to create confusion and generate a sense of volatility on the ground. Another possible reason for these contradictory reports  could be the operation, in parallel, of Russian regulars and so-called ‘volunteers’, or irregular militias.

The same developments are now being reported by Civil.ge

My contact has safely returned from Gori after traveling there with the diplomatic envoy to investigate claims of looting and violence against civilians on the part of the Russian troops. He and other journalists were denied entry into the city by the Russians, however, the diplomats were let in for an hour or two. Here is his direct account. I apologize for the delay but I had a problem with the internet connection.

“9:15am. August 13.
Just came back from near-Gori. Russian troops are NOT now on their way to Tbilisi. I watched the military trucks do a u-turn on the highway and drive past us we were speading to Gori.

I saw droves of refugees coming toward Tbilisi on their feet. I received several firsthand refugee accounts of their houses being looted and set on fire. We came up to Gori in a Diplomatic car. Diplomats went in, but reporters weren’t allowed. Russians blocked us entry. I was there for a little less than 2 hours.

It is surreal to see blockposts of a foreign army on the highway I used to drive freely.

Had a bizzare episode with a Russian soldier. He jumped from a tank, came up to me, all smiles, asked me for cigarette and food. Totally caught me off guard. Gave him cig. and water.”

Other media sources have reported people fleeing from Gori, some of them on foot, along the main highway that was also the scene earlier of the Russian forces advancing towards Tbilisi. Without independent observers and/or journalists able to move into Gori it’s impossible to either completely confirm or deny accounts but I have heard from multiple sources of property being looted and of people hiding or fleeing from the Russian troops that entered Gori in clear violation of the “ceasefire.”

As President Saakashvili was denouncing Russia’s violation of the less than 24 hours old “ceasefire” and Russian troops and military hardware were heading towards Tbilisi along the main highway the Russian commander issued this statement:

“If he doesn’t understand the situation, we’ll have to go further,” said the commander, speaking on condition of anonymity. “He doesn’t seem to understand that the Russian Army is much stronger than the Georgian Army. His tanks remain in their places. His air force is dead. His navy is also. His army is demoralized.” (source NY Times)

In spite of news of President Medvedev signing on to a peace agreement brokered by Sarkozy, fresh fighting has erupted in Gori. Several journalists, quoted by AFP, said Russian troops and armored vehicles were present in Gori earlier today, and exchanged fire with Georgian troops.

More worrisome yet, a AFP photographer has seen a Russian convoy composed of armored vehicles, making its way from Gori to Tbilisi. According to the cited source, the convoy was at around 10 km SE of Gori, on the highway heading for Tbilisi.

Finally, here is another plea for help from Georgia, illustrating the current situation in Gori

I just spoke to my host dad in gori, russian troops are outside his house, breaking into homes. He is scared, the last thing he told me was help me help me. I dont know what to do. He lives in central gori and stayed to help the hospital and never left. Some one is trying to call him again now, but dont know what to do. he llives on 74 rustavli street in gori, behind school number 3.

Watch here a video of Russian troops heading toward Tbilisi.

1746 Update: The deputy Minister of Interior of Georgia denies Russian troops are heading for Tbilisi. According to Russian sources, troops were deployed in Gori to evacuate a Georgian military depot.

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.

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]

[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.

[taken today, in tbilisi. photos and captions courtesy of Giorgi Lomsadze]

These women travelled 40 miles on feet to escape Russian army. As the villagers ran across the farmlands some were shot to death in their backs by the Russian troops. Survivals sleep on the streets of capital Tbilisi

City struggles to provide housing and accomodation for the refugees.

The woman in the midde ran for miles, two kids in her hands, through the fields. She left farm animals tied and defenseless. Russian jet raid obliterated her village

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.

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.