On the night of August 7-8, 2008, Russia sent troops into the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia after Georgia attacked the region's main city, Tskhinvali, where Russian peacekeepers were based. In the next five days, Russian forces drove the Georgians back into Georgia proper and then recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another breakaway Georgian region, as independent states, while Tbilisi insists they are an integral part of Georgia.
Timeline: Georgia-Russia War
Russian soldiers advance in the village of Zemo Nikozi, some 15 kilometers from Tskhinvali, on August 11, 2008.