A new round of explosions has rocked the largely-abandoned strategic Georgian city of Gori, as Russian and Georgian troops face off nearby.
Russian soldiers point guns to Georgian troops on outskirts of Gori, northwest of capital Tbilisi, Georgia, 14 Aug 2008
The explosions came despite earlier indications the Russians were pulling out, in accordance with a French-brokered cease-fire agreement. Details of the standoff were not immediately clear.
To the west Thursday, witnesses said Russian troops have also moved back into the Black Sea port of Poti. Television footage showed at least four partially submerged naval craft, described as coast guard cutters, that witnesses say Russian forces bombed over the past two days. The witnesses say the Russians are removing computer equipment and other items from port facilities, Thursday.
In Moscow, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev met with leaders from South Ossetia and a second breakaway region, Abkhazia.
Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia will continue to back separatists in both regions and that Georgia's territorial integrity is now a "dead issue."
Each side blames the other for starting the hostilities.
Georgian forces say they launched an offensive against separatists in South Ossetia last week after coming under Russian fire. Russia says it acted to protect its citizens in Ossetia, sending in an estimated 10-thousand troops, scores of tanks and hundreds of armored vehicles into Georgian territory.
Gori is located along a major highway just outside South Ossetia.
South Ossetia and Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia in the early 1990s, but have failed to gain international recognition.
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