President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev announced that Russia had stopped the military operation, claiming that the security of the civilian population had been achieved.
However, there are no signs showing that Moscow is getting ready to start negotiating with Georgia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that they would not “talk” to Georgian President Mihail Saakaşvili and they required from Georgia to sign a binding document stating it would not use force again.
Medvedev also stated that they would not allow Georgia to launch another military activity against Southern Osettia.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy had landed in Moscow for peace discussions right before the announcement.
BBC: A hospital in Gori was hit
The news agencies reported right after Medvedev’s announcement that the Russian planes had bombed the Georgian town of Gori. According to the BBC report, those witnessing the bombing said a hospital had been hit and many people killed. Reuter reporters said there were many dead and injured on the roads. Dutch authorities verified that a Dutch cameraman had been killed. (TK/EZÖ/TB)