Are The Russian Soldiers Leaving Georgia?

Russian soldiers give bread to a Georgian woman near the village of Igoeti, 50 kilometers (30 miles) northwest of Tbilisi, Georgia, Friday, Aug. 22, 2008. Russian forces pulled out of positions deep inside Georgia on Friday, two weeks after thousands of troops roared into the small Caucasian nation aboard hundreds of armored vehicles.

Signs Of Pullback By Russian Forces In Georgia -- Yahoo News/AP

IGOETI, Georgia - Russian military convoys rolled out of three key positions in Georgia and headed toward Moscow-backed separatist regions on Friday in a significant withdrawal two weeks after thousands of troops roared into the former Soviet republic.

In western Georgia, a column of 83 tanks, APCs and trucks hauling artillery moved away from the Senaki military base north toward the border of Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region on Friday afternoon. Georgian police said the vehicles came from the base, which has been under Russian control for more than a week.

In central Georgia, at least 40 Russian military vehicles left the strategic crossroads city of Gori, heading north toward South Ossetia and Russia. Gori straddles the country's main east-west highway south of South Ossetia, the separatist region at the heart of the fighting.

"We are seeing the pullback of Russian troops" from Gori, Georgian security council chief Alexander Lomaia said.

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More News On Georgia/Russia

Russia begins troop withdrawal from Georgia -- Guardian
Large Russian convoy heads for Georgia's S.Ossetia -- Reuters Alert
In pictures: Russia pulls out of Georgia -- BBC News
Russia Withdraws From Georgia, Up to a Point -- New York Times
Russia says withdrawal complete -- BBC News

My Comment: As expected .... Russian soldiers have retreated to points that are arbitrary and/or are strategically important (to them). To make them retreat further will now be left to diplomats and the international community to now put more pressure on Moscow. I expect this process to take a very long time, and in the interim will make a good chunk of the Georgian population angry.

I do not see peace or stability in the region for a very long time.