Georgians have told of their anguish and fear for their families following Russian military intervention in their homeland.

Expat workers say they feel "helpless" as television news reports tell of mounting civilian casualties and aerial bombardment by Russian jets.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev yesterday officially ended military operations against Georgia, but the friends and relatives of Zurab Luckashvili and Alex Ksovreli — two Georgians working in Bermuda — say the bombings of civilian targets continue.

Mr. Luckashvili said yesterday: "It is barbaric. They have bombed towns and villages outside of the conflict area, and my hometown of Gori is in ruins. The Russians have bombed the local hospital, apartment buildings and a post office just two blocks from my house.

"We are angry at the deaths of civilians and feel very sceptical of this announcement by the Russian President. We don't trust Russia, because our relatives and friends say the bombings continue."

Although Mr. Luckashvili's brother Alexander and his family have been evacuated to Georgia's capital Tbilisi, he remains concerned for the safety of his 82-year-old mother, Ewgenia.

"Unfortunately I can't get in touch with her," said the 42-year-old Citibank accountant. "I think she is hiding in the basement of her house, but I am very concerned.

"This past weekend was probably the worst time in my life. I have not been able to eat or sleep, I am very worried. I also have two cousins, George and Levani, who are in the army fighting the Russians. The last time we heard from them was two days ago and I don't know if they are safe.

"We just feel helpless sitting here in Bermuda watching the news. So far I think my relatives and friends are OK, but we have to keep trying to contact them, because I don't know how long this bombing will continue.

"We were moving forward as a democracy but this big, giant neighbour seems to be doing its best to destroy that and is challenging our aspirations to be a member of the European Community.

"We feel very sad at the situation and hope the western nations will intensify diplomatic relations. We will continue to fight until an international ceasefire is agreed.

"I hope this conflict will end soon. We are just praying for our families and friends."

Mr. Luckashvili lives in Warwick with his wife Tamar, a volunteer doctor at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital's A&E unit, and six-year-old daughter Lizzie, a student at Bermuda High School.

Mrs. Luckashvili, 32, said: "Gori is my hometown and it is devastating for us to see it like this. We just don't know what is going to happen next. The telephone lines are so busy it is hard to speak to my family, so you get more frustrated not being able to contact them."

She said that after the first air strikes in the region on Saturday, her mother Eteri was evacuated to Tbilisi, while her 17-year-old brother George sought refuge in the Beesi mountains to the east.

"But I remain quite concerned," she said.

Alex Ksovreli, a 38-year-old accountant with Citibank, said he believed his mother Svetlana and father Archill were safe in his home city of Tbilisi, but added: "They are scared."

"People are very frustrated," he said. "With these air strikes, the Russians are trying to make people feel terror and panic."

Mr. Ksovreli, who lives in Warwick with his wife Sophio, 26, said: "I hope our family and friends will be OK, but if the Russians want to overthrow the government they may do anything. Russia is unpredictable and I don't know when this bombing will stop.

"We want good neighbour relations with Russia but I want my people to fight for their freedom and independence. It didn't come cheap, and we will fight for it like our neighbours the Chechnyans."

More than 2,000 people are so far reported to have been killed in the Russia-Georgia conflict, with another 100,000 displaced by the fighting.

The conflict erupted on Thursday, as Russia retaliated to Georgia's bombardment of South Ossetia, a Moscow-backed region seeking independence from Georgia.

Russia sent troops in to recapture South Ossetia and began bombardment of Georgia, also opening up a second front in the breakaway region of Abkhazia. Gori, the most strategically important Georgian town near the South Ossetia border, has borne the brunt of Russian Air Force attacks.

Yesterday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that despite an official end to military operations, any further activity by Georgia in South Ossetia would be met with force. "Should centres of resistance or other aggressive attempts arise, you must take the decision to destroy them," he said.

President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili meanwhile told citizens Russia was continuing its "ruthless, heartless destruction" of the former Soviet state. The country's prime minister, Vladimir Gurgenidze, told the Reuters news agency that Georgian troops would remain "mobilised... ready for anything" until a binding agreement was signed between the two countries.

At the time of going to press last night, French and EU President Nicolas Sarkozy appeared to have successfully brokered a truce between the two countries.