Voice of America, 8 October 2008

Russian forces are withdrawing from positions outside the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia.

A top Russian military official said Wednesday that Russian forces are leaving six checkpoints near the South Ossetian border. Witnesses report seeing trucks and tanks leaving the posts. European Union observers are also monitoring the drawback.

The Russian government has promised to leave undisputed Georgian territory by Friday, under a cease-fire agreement brokered last month by France.

Russian forces swept into Georgia in early August, after Georgia launched military strikes against separatists in pro-Russian South Ossetia. Moscow has since recognized the territory, and a second breakaway region, Abkhazia, as independent states, despite criticism from Western governments.