If there were still any doubts as to the goals of the Russian invasion of Georgia this TimesOnline report should make it clear that the brutal extermination of Georgian civilians is a key priority. Why else bring in troops known throughout the region as the worst of the worst?

“My name’s Shrek,” said the soldier, his eyes glazed and staring as he cradled his Kalashnikov rifle.

The nickname given by his comrades to the bald, pug-eared soldier was the only moment of light relief during a day of tense drama in which The Times witnessed Russia breaching the ceasefire agreement over South Ossetia at will.

At a checkpoint set up by the Russian Army on the approach to the city of Gori from the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, an armoured personnel carrier blocked the road and riflemen had fanned out in the surrounding bushes, their weapons trained on anyone who approached.

All were ethnic Chechens, whose reputation for pitiless brutality in war made them feared throughout the Caucasus.

The checkpoint was the first evidence that the deal brokered hours earlier by President Sarkozy of France was being ignored. Shortly after President Saakashvili had signed the agreement, Russian tanks and troops rolled into Gori.

The ceasefire had specified that both the Georgian and Russian armies should withdraw after the five days of bitter fighting. But the Russians had moved up to twenty tanks, armoured personnel carriers and hundreds of soldiers miles into Georgia to occupy Gori and take control of the road leading to Tbilisi.

One soldier, Yuri, said that his unit, part of the 42nd Chechen Division, had fought for the whole five-day campaign to wrest South Ossetia from Georgian control. Asked why they had taken Gori now, he said: “We were given an order and we are following it. We don’t know how long we will be here.”

Smoke rose behind him as buildings burnt in the villages surrounding Gori. There were also prolonged bursts of automatic gunfire, although Georgian troops had abandoned the city in a panic on Monday night.

A stream of Georgians fled the area in cars, tractors and lorries, taking what belongings they could. A black Volga car crammed with passengers carried two more escapers on its roof.

One elderly couple were walking, the woman clearly in shock, her face swollen and one eye badly damaged. She pointed backwards and said: “They are killing people there, the Chechens and the Ossetians.”

The introduction of the Chechen forces is a move designed both to terrorize Georgians and bring in troops who are used to carrying out savage orders in barbarous conditions.

Additionally ThreatsWatch makes a compelling case that the recent Communist PKK bombing of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline in Turkey was part of Putin’s plan to destabilize Georgia. It’s a must read.

Is this going to spill out of Georgia soon?