Russian troops blow up Georgian ammunition

Gori, Georgia: A Russian tank crashes through a barricade of Georgian police cars, explosions ring out from a military base as Russian troops destroy Georgian arms and ammunition, soldiers sit listlessly at the roadside.

Russia announced yesterday it had begun withdrawing its troops from Georgia under a six-point ceasefire plan. But neither Georgia nor wary and openly impatient Western powers saw any evidence of the tanks, trucks and troops leaving.

Georgia's Interior Ministry said Russian forces had been blowing up stores of Georgian ammunition and weaponry at a base near the western town of Senaki in their drive to weaken Georgia's 29,000-strong army.

Spokesman Shota Utiash-vili said Moscow's troops had also destroyed the runway, about 240km west of the capital Tbilisi. "They are destroying everything and then pulling out of these places," he said. "If they call this a pullout, then I do not understand the meaning of the word."