POTI, Georgia (Dow Jones)--Russian troops left the Georgian port of Poti after occupying it for about four hours, a day after Moscow said it would start pulling out of Georgia.
The Russians detained about 20 Georgian military personnel and took them with them back to the Georgian military base of Senaki, which has become their temporary headquarters. Georgian officials followed to try and negotiate the soldiers' release.
Alan Middleton, CEO of Poti Sea Port Corp, said the Russians had also confiscated five jeeps and an armored Humvee belonging to the U.S. Armed Forces. The equipment was in Georgia for joint US-Georgian military exercises and was in Poti container terminal ready to be shipped back to a U.S. base in Europe.
The Russian troops also tugged a Georgian naval vessel berthed in Poti port's breakwater to the nearby coast guard harbor and blew it up.
Earlier Tuesday, Russian troops seized control of Poti, an economically vital Georgian port, with some 70 Russian peacekeeping forces entering the port grounds on seven armored personnel carriers, according to Georgian government and port officials. They detained 20 Georgian soldiers stationed in the port and confiscated their weapons, then took up positions on the territory of the port, occasionally moving in and out on APCs and in Russian army jeeps.
"They're looking for anything that can be construed as military equipment," said Middleton of Poti Sea Port Corp. A Journal reporter on the scene saw large numbers of port workers, police and local officials milling around outside the entrance, which has been closed off by Russian troops.
The move was another blow to Georgia's economy just as intense diplomatic efforts by the EU and Washington appeared to have succeeded in winning Russia's commitment to a pull-out.
The conflict first blew up on Aug. 7th when Georgia attacked its breakaway region of South Ossetia, triggering a massive Russian counterattack. Russian forces have since occupied all of South Ossetia as well as areas deep into Georgian territory.
Poti Sea Port Corp. is 51% owned by the investment authority of Ras Al Khaimah, one of the United Arab Emirates. It is Georgia's busiest port and a key gateway for the region, handling 8 million tons of cargo last year. A big expansion plan is in the works which will triple the port's capacity. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has said Poti will be turned into a free economic zone and Ras Al Khaimah was planning an ambitious new industrial development next to the port.
Poti is a critical entry point not only for Georgia but also for its neighbors Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the land-locked nations of Central Asia. The flow of goods into Poti and other Georgian Black Sea ports like Batumi has already been disrupted by the war, especially the Russian occupation of Gori, which has severed the main east-west arterial road through Georgia.
The port was closed for two days after Russian planes bombed Poti on Aug. 8 at the start of the war, but since then it had been operating normally.
"The port is now paralyzed," said Zaza Gorazia, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's representative in western Georgia