| August 22, 2008 Russian armored columns on the move in Georgia
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(NECN/ABC) - Today, there were obvious signs of a Russian troop withdrawal from Georgia.
The pullback is following the plan under the ceasefire agreement signed with Georgia and the EU -- that's according to top Russian official General Anatoly Nogovitsyn.
But the U.S. has been unhappy with the pace of the withdrawal and Georgian officials are skeptical.
"So we will see. He says by the end of the day there will be no more Russian troops in the city of Gori and no more checkpoints," says Kakha Lomaia of the Georgian National Security Council.
He has reason to be wary.
The Russians are pulling back but not completely out.
Russian officials say troops will remain as "peacekeepers" in "buffer zones" around disputed territories. Across Georgia over 2-thousand Russian troops will be on patrol.
One South Ossetian woman said all the houses there have been burnt and many have fled. But there are still roadblocks preventing American aid teams from delivering supplies.
The West sees all of these signs as continued aggression.
Another troubling sign came this week when Russian president Dimitri Medvedev met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Russia to discuss an arms deal. Assad was quick to voice Syria's support for Russia's military action in Georgia.
Russia's dealings with Syria is the latest example of strained relations with the U.S. The worst fear is that a newly emboldened, and hostile Moscow could undermine
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