Russians digging in

As the US sends a couple of Navy 'aid' ships into the Black Sea, The Russians are digging trenches around one of the main ports. Here is a quote from Eurasianet (article):

"They have been digging trenches all day long yesterday, even in the rain," said Isa Salakaia, a reporter for Radio Imedi. "The civilian port is still operational, but the port authorities told us that American aid will probably be redirected to Batumi port [some 60 kilometers to the south on Georgia’s Black Sea coast] because of what the Russians are doing here now."


Protests have been ongoing throughout the country, though The Russians appear to be avoiding contact with citizens. The furthest east that Russian troops have come is Igoeti, a village just 30km from Tbilisi. Protests there fueled this telling response from an exasperated Russian soldier (quoted from Eurasianet article linked above):

In central Georgia, at the Igoeti checkpoint outside of Gori, however, direct contact is unavoidable. Protests against the Russian occupation of Georgia, complete with flags, banners, and TV cameras, are a reoccurring event. A sharp response from one exasperated, rifle-bearing soldier on August 21 symbolized the depth of the divide between the two states. "Ossetia is ours!" he yelled back in Russian at protestors bearing English-language signs. "It’s Russian!" Only a brief silence met the outburst before the protestor chants resumed.