Interesting development today from the Russians.
From Fox News:
Russia's Defense Ministry has announced that observations posts near South Ossetia and Abkhazia are being closed down, Russian news agency RIA-Novosti reported.
The announcement followed earlier reports from officials in Georgia who said Russian forces pulled out of a position near Abkhazia on Tuesday.
It was the first sign of the withdrawal Moscow promised following talks with European Union leaders.
Defense Ministry officials in Moscow refused to immediately confirm the report.
A deal French President Nicolas Sarkozy brokered with Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev on Monday calls for the removal of all those positions by Oct. 11.
I'm not holding my breath but this demands observation. So far the Russian "withdrawals" have been small or non-existent. If this is the real thing, it might finally signal a shift that they are thinking sanely again. Well maybe not, but I can hope.
I just am left with the question, why now? What has changed, or what have they achieved? That's the bigger and more important question right now.
God Bless America
Bryan
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Not sure exactly how much progress that is. I saw a news report that said the Russians plan to leave about 7,600 troops in S. Ossetia and Abkhazia. Looks like they plan to stay in those two regions for a while.
Man,
Agreed, but its a sign of something. Your exactly right about South Ossetia and Abkhazia, they're talking about permanent bases there now also. They're not leaving anytime soon.
Bryan
Regarding your questions, Bryan...
AFAIK from local news, 58 Russian Army with all heavy weapons was withdrawn in agreed time. Western media do not report this but shout about Russians do not honor Sarkazi-Medvedev agreement because of this light armed peacekeepers you wrote about now -- they were ordered to held their position to prevent Osetian/Georgian conflicts till the local police return to keep order and some additional documents signed by EU (sic!) to guarantee Georgia non-agression and to place about 200 EU representatives here. Now they move to position before conflict -- is not army, it is about 200 reinforced peacekeepers. EU representatives are planned to move here no later then 1st october.
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