In Pictures: South Ossetia Fighting

Battles between Georgian troops and South Ossetian separatists raged throughout the day. A grab from Russian television shows South Ossetian troops firing at Georgian troops from an unnamed location close to the capital Tskhinvali.

Georgian troops fire rockets at separatist South Ossetian troops close to the capital. Georgia says it has launched the operation to regain control of the Moscow-backed province.

Georgian troops on armored personnel carriers enter South Ossetia. Earlier today, Georgia said its soldiers had seized the "greater part" of the breakaway province after heavy fighting erupted overnight.

Policemen evacuate a Georgian soldier, wounded in battle with South Ossetian separatists, in the town of Gori.

A hole left by a bomb fired from an unidentified aircraft in the town of Gori.

A Russian mobile artillery units enters the area around Tskhinvali. Georgia's Interior Ministry said Russian forces and Georgian forces both control parts of the capital.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili speaks at a news conference in Tbilisi. He said that "there is a large-scale military aggression going on against Georgia" and announced a "total mobilization" of Georgian military forces.

Refugees from South Ossetia flee to the Russian republic of North Ossetia. Most of South Ossetia's residents have Russian citizenship. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused Georgia of "ethnic cleansing" in the pro-Moscow region.

A Russian Channel One television grab shows a Georgian tank burning in Tskhinvali. A top Russian military commander said more than 10 Russian peacekeepers were killed during fighting in the South Ossetian capital.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev speaks during a special session of the Russian Security Council. Moscow says it has sent troops to protect Russian citizens and local residents in South Ossetia and to back up its 2,500-strong peacekeeping contingent there.