Russia has started to pull its 400 railway troops out of Georgia's breakaway republic of Abkhazia. Half the servicemen have left the breakaway republic so far.
The troops were deployed at the request of the Abkhaz authorities at the end of May, to repair 50 kilometres of track, as well as bridges and tunnels, connecting Abkhazia with the Russian Federation. Georgia had expressed concern at the move, claiming Russia was building up military forces in the region. Moscow says it was purely a humanitarian mission.