Developments in Georgia

Following are developments in Georgia ip to this morning:

-- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that a military operation in South Ossetia was nearly over.

-- Russia poured more troops and armour into two Georgian separatist regions as fighting continued.

-- Georgia shelled Tskhinval, capital of South Ossetia. Soldiers said several Russian peacekeepers were killed in Georgian shelling.

-- Georgia said up to 50 Russian fighter jets attacked the country overnight.

-- Russia says its president, prime minister, defence minister and top generals attended a meeting on the military situation in South Ossetia.

-- Russian troops issued an ultimatum to Georgian forces near Abkhazia to disarm or face attack. Georgia swiftly rejected the demand.

-- Russia said it had boosted its forces in Abkhazia far beyond normal levels, stationing more than 9,000 paratroopers and 350 pieces of armour there to "rule out a repetition of the situation Russian peacekeepers faced in Tskhinvali".

-- Moscow deployed yet more armour and troops across its southern border into North Ossetia.

OTHER MOVES:

-- NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer accused Russia of using excessive force and violating Georgia's territory after military action spread beyond South Ossetia.

-- European Commission released 1 million euros ($1.52 million) in humanitarian aid for civilians affected by the fighting.

-- French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, whose country holds the rotating presidency in the European Union, arrived for talks with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on a mission to try to end the four-day-old war. He is expected to go to Moscow on Monday.

-- British Foreign Secretary David Miliband condemned Russian military strikes against Georgia, saying recent bombings had taken fighting well beyond South Ossetia.