Russia Denies Hitting Civilians In Georgia Raids

`We have no right to attack civilian positions,` Russian defence official said.

A senior Russian defence official denied on Sunday that Russian forces had hit any civilian targets during air raids in and around Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia.

"We are conducting reconnaissance, trying to find second-echelon troops held in reserve. We are conducting strikes on them," General Staff's Col-Gen Anatoly Nagovitsyn told a news conference.

"The Russian side has not hit any settlements ... We have no right to attack civilian positions."