Confusion, Fear in Georgia as Russians Move Deeper

Russian armored vehicles were moving deeper into Georgian territory Wednesday, shattering a truce to end six days of fighting in the country that has displaced 100,000 people and battered the Georgian landscape.

Georgian officials said the city of Gori was looted and bombed by the Russians. An AP reporter later saw dozens of armored vehicles leaving the city, roaring south.

Russian officials denied the claims.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said Russian troops are enforcing some sort of blockade around Tbilisi, but have not entered the capital.

A FOX News correspondent in Gori his he received a text message from other reporters warning his crew to "get out now." On their way out they witnessed more than 50 Russian armored vehicles on the road into Gori.

A Sky News crew was robbed of their vehicle and equipment by gunmen believed to be Ossetians.

A Russian government official who wasn't authorized to give his name said that Russian troops checked a Georgian military base near Gori and found lots of abandoned weapons and ammunition. Russian troops moved to take the supplies to a safe place as part of efforts to demilitarize the area.

Saakashvili said the U.S. and the west have underestimated Russia's regional ambitions, saying Georgia warned the west that a large-scale Russian invasion was coming but were told by the U.S. State Department that the Russians "are not going to do that."

President Bush, who spoke to Saakashvili Wednesday morning, was to make a statement at 11:15 a.m. EDT on the Georgia crisis.

Meanwhile, the European Union has agreed to step up involvement in Georgia, and monitor the mission.

During a visit to Tbilisi last month, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Saakashvili not to get into a military conflict with Russia, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

At the Beijing Olympics, Georgian women rallied Wednesday to beat their Russian counterparts in beach volleyball, the first head-to-head clash of the two nations.

"Russia and Georgia are actually friends. People are friends," said the Georgian beach volleyball team leader, Levan Akhtulediani. "But you know, it's not, in the 21st century, to bomb a neighbor country, it's not a good idea."

"I say once again, its better to compete on the field rather than outside the field," he added.

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