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By Margarita Antidze

MEGVREKISI, Georgia (Reuters) - Russia sent forces into Georgia on Friday to repel a Georgian assault on the breakaway South Ossetia region and Georgia's pro-Western president said the two countries were at war.

South Ossetia's rebel leader Eduard Kokoity said there were "hundreds of dead civilians" in the main town Tskhinvali, Russia's Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.

A senior Russian military commander said parts of Russia's 58th army were approaching the rebel capital, where fighting raged between Russian-backed separatists and Georgian forces sent in on Friday to seize it.

A senior Georgian security official said Russian jets had bombed the Vaziani military airbase outside the Georgian capital Tbilisi, and President Mikheil Saakashvili said 150 Russian tanks, armored personnel carriers and other vehicles had entered South Ossetia from neighboring Russia.

"Russia is fighting a war with us in our own territory," Saakashvili told CNN, calling on Washington to help.

Wow it is so strange looking at the pictures. The Georgian soldiers are dressed in old American BDUs and helmets carrying Russian & American small Arms using Russian and British Tanks, and old American Rocket launchers and being driven in Toyota trucks.

— Desert Storm Black Vet

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