Russian troops entering the Abkhazia border

Описание: (22 Aug 2008) SHOTLIST
Zugdidi, western Georgia (close to the border with the breakaway province of Abkhazia)
1. Mid of Russian soldiers on top of APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier) in a convoy entering Zugdidi on the way to border of Abkhazia
2. Wide low angle of Russian tank convoy
3. Various of Georgians watching convoy pass
4. Georgian police officer watching convoy
5. Low angle of convoy of Russian military trucks
6. Various tracking shots of Russian troops on the top of tanks in convoy passing through Zugdidi
7. Georgian man in foreground watching Russian military convoy
8. Various of Russian military convoy
9. Wide of convoy on the outskirts of Zugdidi on the road to the border of Abkhazia
10. Various of Russian military convoy
11. Mid of Russian troops on top of APC showing victory sign
12. Georgian man on a bicycle in foreground, Russian military convoy passes on road behind
Ruxi village, Abkhazia
13. Pan of leading vehicle in the Russian military convoy crossing the Georgian border with Abkhazia to Ruxi village
14. Various of convoy crossing border
15. Mid of Russian soldiers holding guns in the back of a military truck
16. Russian trucks cross border
STORYLINE:
Waves of Russian military convoys rolled out of positions in Georgia on Friday as Russia tried to fulfil at least part of its promise to withdraw forces from its small southern neighbour.
The Russian departures from the western Senaki military base, the central city of Gori and the eastern crossroads checkpoint of Igoeti come two weeks after thousands of Russian troops on tanks moved into the former Soviet republic in defence of a separatist ally.
AP Television footage showed a long Russian military convoy passing through the western town of Zugdidi before crossing the border into the breakaway region of Abkhazia.
An AP reporter in Igoeti confirmed that Russian forces had pulled up from their former checkpoints around the crossroads village of Gori.
Igoeti, on the road between Gori and the Georgian capital Tbilisi, had been the Russian military's closest established position to the capital.
In central Georgia, at least 40 Russian military vehicles left the strategic city of Gori, heading north towards Russia.
Gori straddles the country's main east-west highway south of South Ossetia, the separatist region at the heart of the fighting.
President Dmitry Medvedev had promised to have his troops out of Georgia by Friday but a top Russian general amended that prediction, saying it could take at least 10 days before the bulk of Russian troops and hardware have withdrawn.
Under the European Union brokered cease-fire, Russian forces are to pull back to positions they held before intense fighting broke out on the 7th of August in South Ossetia, which has close ties to Russia.
The short but intense war on Russia's southern border has deeply strained relations between Russia and the West.

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