Ceasefire violations reported

Although Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili reportedly reached a modified peace agreement early on 13 August 2008, reports have begun to emerge of ceasefire violations. The agreement -- which was brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy -- calls for Russian and Georgian forces to return to their pre-conflict positions. However, specific details of the agreement are likely to require further elaboration and clarification to be acceptable to both sides in the conflict. Reports following the agreement indicate that Russia may be continuing its advance into Georgian territory despite the ceasefire. Russian troops and military equipment have been reported in multiple Georgian towns, including Gori and Poti, in an apparent violation of the cease-fire agreement. Local residents have reported looting and marauding in the city of Gori, and many people are evacuating to Tbilisi. Saakashvili has also claimed that Russian troops have been forcing Georgian residents into "internment camps" and has alleged that Russian actions amount to ethnic cleansing. The United States has confirmed that there have been "credible reports" that "irregular forces" are attacking civilians in South Ossetia and has called on Russia to restrain the activity. Earlier reports also cited a Russian convoy moving on the road toward Tbilisi; however, the convoy has since turned a different direction, and Georgian officials have asserted that there is no active advance toward the city. Russia has steadfastly denied the assertions that it has broken the cease-fire and has stated that its forces are emptying a military hardware and ammunition depot near Gori. Meanwhile, there are reports of growing anti-Georgian sentiment in Russia. In Moscow, the Nashi and Young Russia youth groups staged a protest near the Georgian Embassy on 13 August, calling for Saakashvili to be tried for war crimes. The ultranationalist group Movement Against Illegal Migration has also said that it will check parts of the city for ethnic Georgians who could be in the country illegally. The group said that it would report its findings to police, but these statements raise the threat of ethnically motivated violence against this population in Russia