A Georgian man cries as he holds the body of his relative after a bombardment in Gori, 80km from Tbilisi, yesterday. (REUTERS)

MOSCOW • Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin yesterday said there was little chance of Georgia’s separatist South Ossetia region being reintegrated with Georgia and poured scorn on Georgia’s NATO bid.

“Georgia has struck a deadly blow against its own territorial integrity and therefore to its sovereignty. It is hard to imagine how South Ossetia can be persuaded to reintegrate with Georgia after this,” Putin said on returning from the Beijing Olympics.

In televised comments, the powerful Russian premier, a former president, accused Georgia of unleashing an assault with “multiple victims, including among the civilian population.”

And he gave a tough defence of Russia’s military action in Georgia, which on Saturday included aerial bombardments as well as continued fighting in the separatist area of South Ossetia.

Putin said Georgians would in time give an “objective” response to President Mikheil Saakashvili’s leadership.

“From a legal point of view our actions are absolutely well-founded and legitimate and moreover necessary,” Putin said, adding that Russia was legally obliged to act as a shield to residents of South Ossetia.

“Russia has always viewed Georgia with great respect. I’m sure that despite today’s tragic events... Russia will maintain that view despite the criminal policy of the current leaders of that country.

“With time the Georgian people will themselves give the actions of the current Georgian leadership an objective assessment,” Putin said.

He added that Georgia was trying to join NATO not to be part of a global security system. Rather, Georgia’s leaders were trying to join the military alliance “to pull other countries and peoples into their bloody adventures.”

Putin was speaking in the city of Vladikavkaz, near Russia’s southern border with Georgia, where he was overseeing the handling of refugees from South Ossetia. He said 34,000 refugees had crossed from South Ossetia to Russia since August 2.