Gori, Republic of Georgia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2008

After the failed attempt to enter the Russian-occupied town of Gori in a convoy organized by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union on Saturday, another opportunity emerged two days later when Moscow indicated it would give the order for its troops to leave the town the same day. Nobody believed them, of course, but the international media pack in town had to be there just in case. Reuters had decided to leave for Gori at 7 in the morning while AFP would start out a little later at 9.30.

Given that we had to get into Gori, a town where 90 percent of the population had already fled following Russian cluster-bomb attacks and where Russian troops now patrolled the streets, we decided to leave at 8.30 am. The plan was to travel alongside the New York Times’ car which would otherwise try to sneak in if the Russians weren’t true to their word. Despite the risk of running into South Ossetian militia, the need to find alternate routes into Gori really was necessary.

Just under 50 miles from Tbilisi, the birthplace of the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin was now the most strategically important town in the country. Controlling it, especially after the bombing of a railway bridge on the outskirts of nearby Kaspi, the Russians had effectively cut off the main transport route connecting East and West. Most of its inhabitants had fled creating a considerable problem with IDPs and everyone was expecting the Russians to finally leave.

And for a while at least all indications where that this might happen. In the last part of the Georgian-controlled section of the Gori road, dozens of local police dressed smartly and brandishing semi-automatic weapons stood alongside the road with their vehicles parked a little way ahead. It seemed more like preparations for a publicity event than security, and after passing the first Russian military checkpoint at Igoeti, there even appeared to be less tanks dug-in alongside of the road.

Russian military petrol tankers were heading towards Tbilisi as well, as if to refuel any vehicles for the journey back to South Ossetia. Closer to Gori, dozens of cars and vans transporting the international media brigade to Gori stood in line at another Russian military checkpoint where soldiers checked passports. Perhaps the first sign that all was not as it seemed came when one Georgian photographer was told in no uncertain terms, “Take any photographs and we’ll smash your cameras.”

Already the signs were ominous and our worst fears were confirmed when an effective convoy of journalists from the BBC, ABC, CNN, Reuters, AFP, AP and many more reached the final roadblock a mile outside Gori. Refused entry, Russian soldiers instructed the media that they were not authorized to enter until an unnamed General arrived to escort us in. No prizes for guessing that the General in question never materialized.

The full post is available on The Caucasian Knot.