Fierce fighting between Russian and Georgian troops is continuing in the Georgian separatist region of South Ossetia, reports say.

Earlier, Russia said its troops fired on Georgian positions in and around the regional capital, Tskhinvali.

Georgian officials have accused Moscow of bombing three Georgian military bases and the Black Sea city of Poti.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has failed to agree on the wording of a statement calling for a ceasefire.

Russia holds a permanent place on the Council, and has the power of veto over any official statements Georgia and South Ossetia rebels agree talks ...
S. Korean president calls for new talks ...
Unarmed Russian soldiers sent to Abkhazia ...
German FM Steinmeier starts five-day visit to Russia ...
Lithuania Cuts Deal to Lift Veto on EU-Russia Talks ... that it regards as unfair or inaccurate.

Permanent members Britain, the US and France, are pinpointing what they say is Russia's aggression as the key factor in the slide towards war, while Moscow insists Georgia is to blame.

After days of exchanging heavy fire with the Russian-backed separatists, Georgian forces moved on Thursday night to regain control of the region, which has had de facto independence since a war against Georgia that ended in 1992.

In response, Moscow sent armoured units across the border. Russia says 15 of its soldiers are dead, and separatists estimate that 1,400 civilians have died.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said 30 Georgians had been killed in two days of fighting.

'At war'

Georgian forces launched the latest in a series of artillery attacks on Tskhinvali early on Saturday, according to a South Ossetian government spokeswoman.

Russian forces said they had fought back, and fierce clashes were reported by Russian news agencies overnight.

Georgia meanwhile said that Russia had launched air strikes on targets outside of South Ossetia, in what it described as "a full-scale military invasion".

The Georgian authorities also said they were expecting a Russian attack on the capital, Tbilisi, and have evacuated some government offices in the city.

Georgian President Saakashvili said Russia was at war with his country.

Late on Friday, the Georgian national security council said Mr Saakashvili was poised to declare a state of emergency.

'Ethnic cleansing'

On Friday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he had to act to defend South Ossetia's civilians, most of whom have been given Russian citizenship.

He also voiced anger over the reported fatalities of Russian servicemen in the breakaway province.

"We will not allow their deaths to go unpunished," he said. "Those responsible will receive a deserved punishment."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow had received reports that villages in South Ossetia were being ethnically cleansed.

The regional capital, where inhabitants are said to be sheltering in basements without electricity or phone lines, is reported to be devastated.

International Red Cross spokeswoman Anna Nelson said it had received reports that hospitals in Tskhinvali were "overflowing" with casualties.

In other developments:

• US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on Russia to pull its troops out of Georgia and respect its territorial integrity
• Georgia's president said his country was withdrawing half its contingent of 2,000 troops from Iraq to help deal with the crisis
• Russia said it would cut all air links with Georgia from midnight on Friday
• The European security organisation, the OSCE, warned that the fighting in South Ossetia could escalate into a full-scale war
• The US and the EU were reported to be sending a joint delegation to the region to seek a ceasefire and Nato said it was seriously concerned.