TBILISI, Georgia — Russia battled Georgian forces on land and sea, reports said late Sunday, despite a Georgian cease-fire offer and its claim to be withdrawing from South Ossetia, the separatist Georgian province battered by days of intense fighting.
Russia claimed to have sunk a Georgian boat that was trying to attack its vessels in the Black Sea, and Georgian officials said Russia sent tanks from South Ossetia into Georgia proper, heading toward a strategic city before being turned back.
The violence appeared to show Russia’s determination to subdue diminutive, U.S.-backed Georgia. Russia fended off a wave of international calls to observe Georgia’s cease-fire, saying it must first be assured that Georgian troops have pulled back from South Ossetia.
President Bush, in an interview with NBC, said, “I’ve expressed my grave concern about the disproportionate response of Russia and that we strongly condemn the bombing outside of South Ossetia.”
Vice President Dick Cheney spoke Sunday afternoon with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and said that “Russian aggression must not go unanswered,” said Cheney press secretary Lee Ann McBride.
International envoys were heading in to try to end the conflict before it spreads throughout the Caucasus, a region plagued by ethnic tensions. But it was unclear what inducements or pressure the envoys could bring to bear.
Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Temur Yakobashvili said Russian tanks tried to cross from South Ossetia into the territory of Georgia proper but were turned back by Georgian forces. He said the tanks apparently were trying to approach Gori but did not fire on the city of about 50,000.
Russia also sent naval vessels to patrol off Georgia’s Black Sea coast but denied Sunday that the move was aimed at establishing a blockade.
The ITAR-Tass news agency quoted a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman as saying that Georgian missile boats twice tried to attack Russian ships, which fired back and sank one of the Georgian vessels.
South Ossetia broke away from Georgian control in 1992. Russia granted passports to most of its residents, and the region’s separatist leaders sought to absorb the region into Russia.
Georgia, whose troops have been trained by American soldiers, began an offensive to regain control over South Ossetia overnight Friday, pounding the regional capital Tskhinvali. In response, Russia launched massive artillery shelling and air attacks on Georgian troops.
“Georgia expresses its readiness to immediately start negotiations with the Russian Federation on a cease-fire and termination of hostilities,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. But Russia insisted Georgian troops were continuing their attacks.
