VLADIKAVKAZ, Russia, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Fighting gripped Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia for a third day on Saturday, but it remained unclear just who was in control of the rebel capital Tskhinvali. Russia announced it had seized control of the city, but Georgia denied that, saying Tskhinvali was in its hands. Separatist officials, who are supported by Russia, appeared to contradict each other. Eduard Kokoity, self-styled president of the separatist region, said a "second attempt" by Georgian forces to retake the town had been beaten back. "We set ablaze a lot of their military hardware," he told Russia's Interfax news agency. But, as he spoke, Boris Chochiyev, deputy head of the South Ossetian government, told reporters that Tskhinvali was now in the hands of Georgian forces. "The city has been lost. We have been betrayed," said Chochiyev, visibly shaken. He gave no details. A Tskhinvali resident calling himself Soslan said by telephone that Russian troops had never actually entered the city to take control of it. "The Russians, their tanks and artillery, are outside the city. They have not entered it," he said, adding that he had seen several dead bodies on the streets. "Everyone is hiding in basements. No one is taking care of the bodies. There are snipers everywhere." Russia said the death toll stood at 2,000, and 30,000 refugees had fled across the border to North Ossetia in Russia. A correspondent for Russia's state Vesti television said there had been no fighting inside Tskhinvali, but that bouts of firing were resounding in the town. Clashes erupted periodically on the outskirts. Television footage showed scenes of destruction and commotion throughout the town, its streets strewn with rubble, burned out tanks and smashed vehicles. Rubble and twisted metal piled up on street corners and in parks. (Writing by Maria Golovnina, edited by Richard Meares))
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting with officials in the southern city of Vladikavkaz, located next to the Georgian separatist region of South Ossetia, August 9, 2008. Putin ...
