CHECKPOINT OUTSIDE GORI, Georgia (AFP)--Russian troops controlled the main entry into the Georgian city of Gori Monday, an AFP correspondent saw, amid expectations that Moscow was to start pulling out its forces.
Two Russian soldiers at a checkpoint didn't allow journalists to enter the town, just 60 kilometers west of Tbilisi.
A military truck and an armored personnel carrier could also be seen at the site. A convoy of four vehicles from the International Committee of the Red Cross was, however, allowed through the checkpoint.
The correspondent saw a light Russian military presence on the road into Gori from the crossroads at Igoeti, 40 kilometers west of Tbilisi, including a half dozen Russian APCs and trucks.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev assured his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy Sunday that Russian regular forces "will begin withdrawing" from Monday.