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Russia says it’s leaving, Georgia sees no pullout

Georgia still sees no sign of the start of a promised Russian withdrawal from Georgian territory, its top national security official said yesterday, despite the Russian military’s insistence it had begun.

Georgian officials also accused Russia of sending troops deeper into its territory.

Meanwhile, in his latest comment on the conflict with Georgia over South Ossetia, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev vowed a “shattering” blow against any foreign power that threatened Russians.

Russian troops maintained an armed checkpoint at the edge of the strategic city of Gori and the Georgian interior ministry said Russian forces were heading deeper into Georgian territory from the central city of Khashuri.

“Six Russian armored vehicles are heading from Khashuri towards Sachkhere and another six towards Borjomi,” interior ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said.

Moscow has faced mounting international calls to withdraw the forces it sent into its neighbor to repel a Georgian attempt to take back control of South Ossetia. It said it had acted to protect its forces acting as “peacekeepers” in South Ossetia and the many people to whom it has given Russian passports.

Medvedev had assured French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday that Russian regular forces “will begin withdrawing” from yesterday, the Kremlin said. But the Russian leader said yesterday he was ready to order a new intervention.

“If someone thinks they can kill our citizens, kill soldiers and officers fulfilling the role of peacekeepers, we will never allow this,” Medvedev told a group of veterans in Kursk, Interfax news agency reported. “Anyone who tries to do this will receive a shattering blow.”

Russian troops at a checkpoint 2km from Gori stopped journalists entering the city, though four International Committee of the Red Cross vehicles were let through.

An AFP reporter near Tskhinvali, capital of South Ossetia, saw Russian military vehicles parked on the roadside, accompanied by their crews, but no sign of a large-scale troop withdrawal.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili called for talks with Russia to prevent a “definitive estrangement” between the two sides.

In a televised address, Saakashvili repeated his demand for the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces. But he struck a more conciliatory note, saying: “Let’s then start thinking, negotiating how can we prevent the definitive estrangement of our two countries.”

Russian tanks yesterday “destroyed” Georgian police cars at a checkpoint just 30km from Tbilisi, a Georgian interior ministry spokesman told AFP.

Georgian TV channel Rustavi-2 showed pictures of the checkpoint at Igoeti, where two tanks were seen pushing through a barrage of police cars blocking the road.

“The Russian tanks destroyed Georgian police cars when the Georgian policemen asked them what they were doing so far from the conflict zone,” interior ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said.

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