GORI, GEORGIA - Russia promised to start withdrawing forces from positions in Georgia today, although it was not clear immediately how far or how fast the troops would move. Moscow has made similar commitments in recent days but failed to follow through.

Sunday's vow followed repeated U.S. and European calls for Russia to honor a cease-fire agreement it signed Saturday and pull troops out of Georgia proper. But Russia made no mention of leaving the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, where it has long stationed peacekeepers.

STRONG RUSSIAN PRESENCE: Moscow showed no sign of loosening its grip in areas its military controls. Dozens of supply trucks and tanks were streaming south out of Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, toward Gori. All along the road, Russian soldiers had erected checkpoints, taken up residency in an abandoned Georgian military base and set up roadside tent cities.

BRAVADO FROM GEORGIA: Bolstered by Western support from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili vowed never to abandon its claim to territory now firmly in the hands of Russia and its separatist allies, even though he has few means of asserting control.

THE SCENE: In Gori, people crowded around aid vehicles and grasped for loaves of bread. Virtually all shops were closed, and the streets almost empty, save for clusters of people who gathered around aid vehicles and a basement bakery.

In Zugdidi, residents took to the streets Sunday to protest the Russian presence. Some carried Georgian flags and pictures of Saakashvili.

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