President Dmitry Medvedev said earlier on Monday that Russia had almost completed its operation to force Georgia to accept peace in breakaway South Ossetia. He said Russian forces had now taken control of Tskhinvali, the regional capital, three days after the start of Georgia's ground and air offensive.
"We have never been and will never be passive observers in the region," the president said at a meeting with the leaders of parliamentary factions. He stressed Russia's historical role as "a guarantor of security" in the Caucasus.
Medvedev said the country would see the current peace enforcement operation through "to its logical conclusion," ensuring that all Russian citizens in Georgia's breakaway provinces are free of danger.
He also pledged higher wages for Russian peacekeepers involved in the ongoing operation in South Ossetia, and said relevant government instructions would be issued soon. Russia says more than 10 of its peacekeepers have been killed by Georgian forces since Friday morning.
Discussing the conflict with Georgia in a phone conversation with Finnish President Tarja Halonen, Medvedev said the OSCE should send its representatives to South Ossetia, due to the humanitarian catastrophe developing in the province.
Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner will hold talks with the Russian leadership in Moscow, bringing with them a ceasefire document signed by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
