Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Friday Russia would take action to protect its citizens under siege by Georgian troops driving to re-assert control over the breakaway region of South Ossetia, dpa reported.
Medvedev did not specify what action Moscow might take.
"We will not let the deaths of our citizens go unpunished, the guilty will incur the punishment they deserve," Medvedev was quoted by news agency Interfax as saying in his first statement since heavy fighting erupted Thursday in the region claiming casualties on both sides..