There were no signs of Russian forces withdrawal from the position they are in control of outside the conflict zones.

The Russian troops remain in control of Gori and even advanced further to other areas. An eyewitness told Civil.Ge on August 16 to have seen at least 20 Russian armored vehicles in Khashuri, a small town, on the major highway, in the west from Gori.

Meanwhile, deputy commander of the Russia’s airborne troops, Maj. Gen. Alexander Borisov, who is a commanding officer on the ground in Gori, said he was not against of presence of the Georgian patrol police in the town. “But there should not be any special purpose units [of the Interior Ministry],” Borisov said late on August 15.