Russia 'ends Georgia operation'
Thousands of people have fled Gori in fear of Russian air attacks
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an end to military operations against Georgia, the Kremlin says.
He told officials he had decided to end the campaign after restoring security for Russian citizens and peacekeepers in South Ossetia.
Mr Medvedev's announcement followed fresh reports of Russian warplanes bombing the Georgian town of Gori.
The conflict began last Thursday, when Russia responded to Georgian military action in South Ossetia.
But Russia has also bombed areas outside the breakaway region - including Gori, which is less than 80km (50 miles) from the Georgian capital Tbilisi.
Shortly before Russia's announcement that it was ending military operations, witnesses told the BBC that several people had been killed when a bomb hit a hospital in the town.
A reporter for Reuters news agency said several bombs exploded in front of his vehicle, while a Reuters photographer spoke of seeing dead and injured people lying in the streets.
Officials in the Netherlands have confirmed that a Dutch TV cameraman was among those killed in Gori and another journalist was wounded.
The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse, near Gori, reported seeing sporadic artillery fire around the town right up until shortly before the Russian announcement.
But our correspondent later said military action in the area appeared to have stopped.
After Mr Medvedev's statement, tens of thousands of Georgians gathered in Tbilisi's main square to hear President Mikhail Saakashvili speak.
The president told the crowd that Russia was continuing its "ruthless, heartless destruction" of Georgian citizens - although the Kremlin denied his claims.
In other developments:
• French President Nicolas Sarkozy held a joint news conference with President Medvedev in Moscow. Mr Sarkozy, in his current role as EU president, is trying to negotiate a permanent ceasefire.
• Nato said Russia's withdrawal announcement was "not enough" and that it deplored the "disproportionate" force used by Moscow.
• President Saakashvili said Georgia would leave the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) - a group which includes most of the former Soviet republics.
• He also announced that Russian peacekeepers in Georgia's other breakaway region, Abkhazia, will now be regarded as an occupying army - ending an agreement in place since 1994.
• Separatist rebels continued to fight against Georgian troops in the Kodori Gorge region of Abkhazia - the only area of Abkhazia still under Georgian military control.
• British oil firm BP closed a key pipeline that runs through Georgia.
'Safety restored'
According to a Kremlin statement, Mr Medvedev told his defence minister and chief of staff that "the goal has been attained".
"I've decided to finish the operation to force the Georgian authorities to peace. The safety of our peacekeeping forces and civilian population has been restored," he said.
Russia has invaded a sovereign neighbouring state and threatens a democratic government elected by its people
US President George W Bush
Bush's tough talk on Russia
"The aggressor has been punished, having sustained considerable losses. Its armed forces have been disorganised."
The BBC's James Rodgers, in Moscow, says there is no sign yet that Russia is willing to engage in talks with the government in Tbilisi.
Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, has insisted that Georgia must sign a legally binding document on the non-use of force.
And Mr Medvedev warned that Russia would not tolerate any further Georgian military activity in South Ossetia, saying: "Should centres of resistance or other aggressive attempts arise, you must take the decision to destroy them."
Georgia also remained sceptical, the country's prime minister telling Reuters that troops would remain "mobilised... ready for anything" until a binding agreement was signed between the two countries.
Foreign influence
The Russian move followed strong comments from US President George W Bush, in which he spoke directly of concerns that Russia was planning to topple Georgia's pro-Western president.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announces the end of military operations
"Russia has invaded a sovereign neighbouring state and threatens a democratic government elected by its people," he said.
"Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st Century."
The BBC's diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall says Mr Medvedev's announcement must be seen in the light of the US president's words.
President Bush's language was unusually blunt, she says, and if Russia cares about its relations with the US and Europe, it might have been given pause for thought.
The five-day-old conflict began late on 7 August when Georgian forces bombarded South Ossetia, where a majority of people hold Russian passports.
Russia quickly became involved, bombing targets throughout Georgia and sending troops in to recapture South Ossetia.
Some 100,000 people are estimated to have been displaced by the conflict.