At least 1,400 civilians were reported killed today after Russian forces invaded territory claimed by one of its former Soviet satellites. Moscow was on the brink of all-out war with its southern neighbour Georgia over the tiny, disputed region of South Ossetia. Earlier in the day a column of more than 150 Russian tanks and other armoured vehicles had moved into the breakaway province - no bigger than Norfolk - as South Ossetian rebels came under attack from the Georgian army. Devastation: A Georgian tank burning in Tskhinvali during fighting A wounded man receives medical attention at a hospital in the separatist capital of South Ossetia By the evening Russian and Georgian ground forces were reportedly in direct combat with each other. Russian military sources said their artillery and tanks were engaging Georgian troops... [read full story]
