The Georgian government claimed “hundreds” of fighters and military hardware had entered breakaway South Ossetia from the Russian Federation via Roki Tunnel.

In a statement released after midnight, the Georgian government said it had been forced to open fire in response to massive shelling - what it called “an extreme escalation” - of Georgian-controlled villages in the conflict zone.

“In response to Georgia’s decision to unilaterally cease fire and the Georgian president’s proposal to hold peace talks, the separatists carried out attacks on villages in the vicinity of Tskhinvali,” the statement reads. “An attack was carried out against the village of Prisi at 10:30pm [on August 7] and then on the village of Tamarasheni.”

“There are casualties, both dead and wounded, as a result of these attacks,” it said without giving details.

“Despite the high tensions, the Georgian government again reiterates its commitment to resolve the conflict peacefully and calls on the separatists to cease military actions,” the statement added.