Berlin - Georgia triggered last year's war with Russia by invading the breakaway province of South Ossetia, two German newspapers said Wednesday - citing leaks of a report commissioned by the European Union.

But the document, compiled by Swiss diplomat Heidi Tagliavini, said that Russia had provoked the invasion and responded "disproportionally" to Georgia's military action, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Frankfurter Allgemeine said.

The report itself is due to be published later Wednesday in Brussels.

The newspapers said the EU report could find no evidence for the claim by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili that the invasion of Georgian troops was in response to an earlier invasion of South Ossetia by Russian forces.

Moscow said it sent its troops into South Ossetia to protect Russian citizens living there as well as a Russian "peace force" based in the territory since 1992.

The report said that although Georgia fired the first shots in South Ossetia on the night of August 8, 2008, Moscow bore much of the blame for the escalation of the conflict, the newspapers said.

In the years preceding the conflict, Russia encouraged separatist movements in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another Georgian territory, training their military forces and distributing Russian passports, the newspapers quoted the report as saying.

After the initial clashes, Russian troops advanced deep into Georgia's heartland, destroyed Georgian ships and occupied part of the Kodori valley in Abkhazia, the report said.

After the conflict, Russia extended diplomatic recognition to South Ossetia and Abkhazia and beefed up its troop presence in the two territories.

The international community still regards the two regions as part of Georgia.

The report said Saakashvili ordered the invasion despite warnings from the United States not to provoke a military confrontation with Russia. (dpa)