Argus Europe Ltd

There is disagreement between Moscow and Tbilisi over whether or not Russia has begun withdrawing troops from Georgia, as promised.

Announcing a “pull-back” from Georgia proper into South Ossetia, a Russian general made clear he did not regard the province as Georgian territory.

According to Russian media, some combat units inside South Ossetia were withdrawn to Russia during the day.

A top Georgian official said there was no evidence of any Russian withdrawal.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier promised to abide by the terms of a ceasefire brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The conflict over South Ossetia erupted 11 days ago, when the Georgian army tried to wrest back control and Russia sent in its troops to drive them out.

Russian troops remain stationed near the Georgian capital Tbilisi, with Moscow saying it has the right to keep some troops as peacekeepers in a buffer zone around South Ossetia.

The West has repeatedly urged Russia to withdraw its troops and France has said it will call a special EU summit if Russia does not comply.

Mr Medvedev, who was in North Ossetia to decorate Russian soldiers for valour during the recent fighting, has promised to “do whatever is necessary” to maintain security in the region.

“If anyone thinks he can kill our citizens without being punished, or kill our soldiers and officers, who are peacekeepers, we will never allow this,” he said.

He added that Russian soldiers had demonstrated that they had recovered from the crisis of the 1990s and were now a fighting force again.