Thousands more Russian troops in Georgia's Abkhazia region

Tbilisi: More than 9,000 Russian troopers have gathered in Georgia's second rebel region of Abkhazia, Interfax news agency reported on Monday.

"Our troops have to defend...civilians and avert a humanitarian catastrophe," Interfax quoted Russian peacekeepers' commander Alexander Novitsky as saying.

Witnesses said that for the past two days, Russian planes have been flying troops and armour into Abkhazia, which has said it wants to be a part of Russia.

In Moscow, Russia's deputy head of general staff said on Monday that two more of its military aircraft had been lost in the conflict in Georgia.

Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn said that a total of four Russian aircraft had been lost in the conflict.

Meanwhile, separatist authorities in Abkhazia have mobilized the army and called up reservists to drive Georgian government forces from a small part of the province still under Georgian control.

In South Ossetia, violence appeared to ebb as Georgian troops began retreating and Russian troops appeared to be in control.

US officials said Moscow was only broadening its retaliation against Georgia for trying to take control of the region.

Georgia said on Sunday it had ordered its forces, pushed back by superior Russian firepower, to cease fighting in the breakaway province.

However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov demanded an "unconditional withdrawal" of Georgian forces in a telephone call with his Georgian counterpart, Russia's foreign ministry said.