Reuters and lenta.ru report that Georgia is withdrawing troops from the war-devastated South Ossetia. This also just got reported by France 24. I cannot get to any Georgian news sites for another confirmation, it looks like all of them are under a massive cyberattack.
Don't get too excited though - interfax.ru reports that Georgian troops are just relocating to new positions.
Pictures below the jump.
The "fog of war" covering this conflict is quite dense - journalists get shot at like it isn't even funny, and official spokespersons are lying their heads off. What contributes to even more confusion is that it's not too easy to distinguish between Georgian and Russian soldiers or South Ossetian militia by either their uniforms or their military hardware. The picture to the left, depending on what site hosts it, shows either an Ossetian greeting the South Ossetian troops or a Georgian greeting Georgian troops.
This (Reuters) is definitely Russian mobile artillery, 152mm long range, shooting at Georgians someplace near Dzhava (way north of Tskhinvali).
Bush and Putin were heard yelling at each other... ermmm... having an "animated conversation" during the opening of the Olympic Games....
Mr Rudd revealed in an interview with Beijing Now in Beijing on Saturday that he was sitting just two rows behind Mr Bush when an "animated" discussion between he and Mr Putin broke out over Russia's advance into South Ossetia, a breakaway region in neighbouring Georgia.
Shortly thereafter, Putin left the games for Vladikavkaz, right north across the border from Tskhinvali, where he is staying to coordinate - I don't know what he is coordinating there.
The civilian death toll (South Ossetian and Georgian combined) is in the thousands already, the reported Russian and South Ossetian troop losses are in the dozens (including 10 or so peacekeepers and one pilot), and Georgia has supposedly lost several hundred soldiers. Same source (bloomberg.com) is reporting that Abkhazia is opening a second front in the war against Georgia, and in the meantime, the port of Poti is blockaded by the Russian Navy. Echo Moskvy says the Russian navy categorically denies that such a blockade exists, because (my translation)...
Such a blockade would mean war with Georgia. Russia is presently not in a state of war.
Now, in my assessment, Russia so far has stayed away from truly irreversible decisions (like dealing massive casualties to Georgian civilians would be). This makes me hopeful that maybe... just maybe... some sort of talks will begin soon. But then, I am desperate for any shred of hope that this mess will be over...
Oh please please please let the shooting stop and some kind of talks begin. France offered to intercede - there is hope (oh, not that four-letter word again!) that both Russia and Georgia will believe France as an honest broker...
UPDATE.
The earlier suspicion about Georgian troops moving to new positions rather than disengaging appears, sadly, to have been justified - Echo Moskvy is reporting resumed fighting. What it is slightly encouraging is that now at least the refugees can get out - there is an informal agreement (that appears to be holding) not to fire at refugee columns...
Final update.
Georgian troop withdrawal appears to be continuing, although there is some exchange of fire. Jerome a Paris just posted a diary with the analysis of the situation... if you want to say anything on the subject, please say it there.