Russia Opens Second Front in Georgia

Russia opened a second front of fighting in Georgia today, sending armored vehicles beyond two breakaway provinces and seizing a military base and police stations in the country's west, officials told the AP. Meanwhile, the US State Department evacuated more than 170 American civilians to Armenia. The new forays into Georgia appeared to show Russian determination to subdue Georgia, which has been pressing for NATO membership

The latest developments indicate that Russian troops have invaded Georgia proper while most Georgian forces are locked up in fighting around South Ossetia. The West has sharply criticized Russia's military response to Georgia's attack on South Ossetia as disproportionate. "We want to see the Russians stand down," a deputy State Department spokesman told reporters in Washington. (More Russia stories.)