The Russian promise of withdrawal was simply a ruse to buy them more time to rape Georgia while the world watches. From Fox News:
Russia’s deputy chief of staff insisted Monday that Russian troops and tanks have begun to withdraw from the conflict zone with Georgia, but left unclear exactly what Russia thought that zone was. Yet in the key Georgian city of Gori, there were no signs of a Russian pullback.
The statement by Col.-Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn came amid uncertainty about whether Russia was fulfilling President Dmitry Medvedev’s promise to begin a troop pullout Monday after signing an EU-backed cease-fire.
Nogovitsyn told a briefing in Moscow that “today, according to the peace plan, the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers and reinforcements has begun” and said forces were leaving Gori.
However in Gori, Russian forces seemed to be solidifying their positions and the only movement seen by Associated Press reporters was in the opposite direction from Russia — toward the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, 55 miles to the east.
The U.S. State Department was also unable to confirm a Russian troop pullout.
Four Russian armored personnel carriers, each carrying about 15 men, rolled Monday afternoon from Gori to Igoeti, a crossroads town even closer to Tbilisi. Passing Georgian soldiers who sat by the roadside, the Russians moved into Igoeti then turned off onto a side road.
The Georgian Daily is reporting that the Russian delays are aimed at giving them time to complete their destruction of the Georgian infrastructure:
On 18 August 2008, the Russian occupying forces re-entered the area of the Senaki military base, and began destroying the remaining buildings and infrastructure.
In addition, today as well as over the last several days, Russian military forces have continued to install landmines on bridges and access roads adjacent to the cities of Gori, Khashuri, Senaki, Poti and Zugdidi.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia believes that these actions, along with the persistent delay in the withdrawal of its forces from Georgia, Russia is gravely violating the conditions provided for by the peace accord signed by the presidents of Georgia, France and the Russian Federation, according to which Russia should have immediately ceased all military activities in Georgia and withdrawn all of its military units from the Georgian territory.
Looks like Vlad wasn’t happy with just ordering ethnic cleansing, but he wants to ensure the once prosperous Georgia is left in total ruins.