MOSCOW, August 8 - RAPSI. The International Criminal Court needs to investigate the 2008 conflict in South Ossetia; Russia is doing its best to make this happen, Vladimir Markin, the official spokesperson for the Investigative Committee, said.

"Since Georgia's top officials and high-ranking military officers, guilty of criminal acts, cannot be held criminally liable in the Russian Federation pursuant to the international law, and Georgia refuses to bring them to trial, the Russian authorities are taking steps to initiate an investigation with the International Criminal Court," Markin said.

The facts of assault on Russian peacemakers and the use of heavy weapons against South Ossetian civilians, as established by Russia, could be subject to an ICC investigation.

"To initiate an ICC inquiry as soon as possible, Russian investigators submitted additional information specifying reasons obstructing justice to the office of the prosecutor," Markin said.

Russian investigators have questioned several thousand witnesses, victims and specialists and about 600 forensic examinations have been carried out as part of the investigation.

Markin claims there is incontrovertible evidence that Georgia's officials and high-ranking military officers were involved in crimes against peace and the safety of humanity
On the night of August 8, 2008 Georgian troops attacked South Ossetia and destroyed part of its capital, Tskhinvali. Russia moved its troops into the republic in order to defend many of its residents who had Russian citizenship. Five days later, Russia forced Georgian troops out of the country.

Tbilisi reacted to the Russian recognition of South Ossetian and Abkhazian independence by severing diplomatic relations with Russia and declared its former autonomies occupied areas.