However, what triggered the Georgian response, says Mr Saakashvili, was the movement of Russian troops through the Roki tunnel that connects South Ossetia to Russia.

ECONOMIST: Russia and Georgia

The Georgians are handing out evidence, including telephone intercepts, to show that large numbers of Russian troops entered South Ossetia through the Roki tunnel on August 7th, long before the Georgians began bombarding the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali.

ECONOMIST: Coping with the fraught aftermath of August��s war