From The Financial Times
By Roman Olearchyk, Charles Clover

Georgia warned on Friday that Moscow and Tbilisi would be in ”a state of war” if reports of Russian tanks, military trucks and troops entering South Ossetia proved true.

”If it’s true that Russian troops and armaments have been sent to Georgia, it means that we are in a state of war with Russia,” Alexander Lomaia, secretary of Georgia’s National Security Council, told AFP.

The warning was issued as dozens of Russian tanks, trucks and troops were seen by an AFP reporter Friday heading towards South Ossetia, travelling through the Russian province of North Ossetia.

Nato, the European Union and the United States called for an immediate end to fighting in South Ossetia and urged direct talks between the sides.

Fierce fighting erupted in Georgia’s breakaway enclave on Thursday. By early on Friday, Georgian troops had reportedly taken control of most regions in the enclave, which is proctected by some 1,000 Russian peacekeepers, and surrounded Tskhinvali, its regional capital, following days of clashes with separatist forces in the area.

Russia confirmed it had sent ”reinforcements” into South Ossetia. ”We will not allow the death of our countrymen and peacekeepers to go unpunished. We have sent reinforcements into the region to help our peacekeepers,” the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.

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