Earlier this evening a friend on the outskirts of Tbilisi saw Georgian convoys of trucks full of troops and large pieces of artillery returning from Gori in a hasty retreat in order to set up defensive positions around the capital of Tbilisi.

From another friend and Georgian journalist via Facebook as phones are unreliable:

“8:25pm local time. Russian tanks advancing in the West gobbling towns on their way. Zugdidi and Senaki have fallen. Gori under siege”

“8:56pm local time. Fierce battle in Gori. Population evacuated. The city still holds. Khobi fell.”

“10:11pm local time. Gori has fallen”

“10:20pm local time. Georgian toops retreat and put reinforcements around Tbilisi. Two journalits killed in Gori”

“10:40pm. Tbilisi anticipates air strike. People closing up stores, moving to basements. U.S. Dep Secretary of State has arrived. Hope this will deter Russians.”

Alexander Lomaia, the secretary of Georgia’s National Security Council, has said at midnight that there are no armed clashes currently underway. He also stated that Russian troops were in the strategic port city of Poti near the Abkhaz border but this has yet to be confirmed by another source. He confirmed the Russian Defense Ministry’s announcement that the Russian forces pulled back from Senaki.