Georgia told the United Nations Security Council Friday that Russia mounted a "premeditated" attack on its territory, with aerial bombings and land invasion that inflicted civilian casualties, dpa reported.
The United States concurred with Georgia, saying that Russian combat troops and warplanes entered that country in gross violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Georgian envoy to the United Nations, Irakli Alasania, addressed a public meeting of the 15-nation council during a second emergency meeting in less than 24 hours to discuss the fighting involving Russian and Georgian troops over the breakaway region of South Ossetia.
" Russia launched a blunt and open invasion of Georgia and has challenged the international community and its established democracy," Alasania said.
The fighting in Southern Ossetia, a breakaway enclave of Georgia, erupted on the same day the Summer Olympic Games opened in Beijing, despite the call from the United Nations to respect the Olympics Truce and for warring parties to cease all hostilities worldwide during the games.
The Olympics Truce is launched at every Olympics, but this was the first time that a new conflict began on the opening day of the summer games.
Alasania told the council the attack began early Friday with waves of aerial bombings involving SU bombers and SU25 jet fighters that struck at different areas inside Georgia, hitting at villages and military installations.
He charged that Russia had illegally brought military equipment into Georgia, never mentioning specifically whether it was in South Ossetia or Georgia proper.
Alasania pointed to a map with red and blue marks showing sites hit by Russian military craft and areas he alleged Russia had entered in the Georgian territory.
He called for the immediate pullout of Russian military personnel before the start of negotiations for a ceasefire with the mediation of international organizations.
Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who has clashed with Alasania at UN headquarters in New York in the past over the breakaway Abkhazia province, rejected the Georgian's accusations.
But US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad told the council that Russian troops had entered Georgian territory, a former Soviet republic with a complex relationship with Russia. Khalilzad called for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops and talks to end the hostilities.
"The United States is profoundly disturbed by this development and we call on Russia to cease all attacks and respect Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Khalilzad said.
"My government supports a ceasefire under international mediation and we seek Russia's support for the ceasefire," he said. He called for restraint on both sides of the conflict.
Other council members supported a ceasefire and for talks to reach that agreement.
Friday's emergency session was requested by Alasania, whose country has accused Russia of backing separatist forces in South Ossetia and Abkhasia, and threatened Georgia's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Alasania, in a letter to the council's president, said Russian troops had invaded Georgian territory and Russian planes had bombed targets in the country.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about the latest fighting in a statement issued Thursday in New York and urged warring parties to refrain from action that could endanger stability in their region.