Russian soldiers argue with Georgians near Igoeti, 50 kilometres from Tbilisi, on Thursday. (Sergei Grits/Associated Press)

Russian forces blocked the land entrance to Georgia's main port on Thursday, a day before Moscow had vowed to complete a withdrawal from the country.

But the Russian general in charge of Russian ground forces, Gen. Vladimir Boldyrev, said Thursday it could be 10 days before most of the troops leave, according to Associated Press.

Armoured personnel carriers and trucks blocked the bridge to the Black Sea port city of Poti, while Russian forces dug trenches and set up mortars.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had promised his forces would pull out of Georgia by Friday. Moscow made a show of withdrawing troops, tanks and other vehicles from the central Georgian city of Gori earlier in the week.

'It doesn't matter what they are saying in Moscow. On the ground, it's more than obvious that they will not hit tomorrow's deadline.'— Mike Hornbrook, CBC reporter

But Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili told the Associated Press that while Russia reduced its presence in some towns, it seized other locations.

He called the moves "some kind of deception game.

"[The Russians] are making fun of the world," he said.

Russia maintains that a ceasefire agreement it signed Saturday allows it to create a buffer zone along the border of South Ossetia, the Russian-dominated separatist province that was the flashpoint of the conflict, which began Aug. 8.

Under the agreement, the so-called "security zone" extends some six kilometres into Georgia from South Ossetia.

Boldyrev said checkpoints in the zone would be up and running Friday and that forces not involved in that effort would head back to Russia, the Associated Press reported.

But he said it would take them about 10 days to get there after that, moving "in columns in the established order."

Poti is located more than 150 kilometres west of the nearest point in South Ossetia.

On Thursday, Russian tanks, trucks and troops continued to hold positions around Gori, about 60 kilometres northwest of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.

The CBC's Mike Hornbrook, reporting from Gori, said the Russians appeared to be staying put.

"At the moment, I am on a bridge into Gori, which was the scene of considerable fighting in the early stages of this conflict," he said. "The Russians were said to be pulling out of Gori, but you couldn't tell that from where I am.

"There is a tank that cuts off entrance into Gori. The [gun] barrel is levelled at head level, I would have to say. Soldiers are checking everyone. They will allow local people who live in Gori in, but they won't allow journalists."

An officer of the FSB, the Russian security service, told reporters there is no possibility of getting an army of 10,000 soldiers, tanks and other heavy equipment out of Georgia by Friday, Hornbrook said.

"It doesn't matter what they are saying in Moscow. On the ground, it's more than obvious that they will not hit tomorrow's deadline," he said.

In a sign Russia plans to solidify its control of South Ossetia, Col.-Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn said Russia would build 18 checkpoints in the security cordon around the province, with 270 soldiers manning front-line posts.

NATO foreign ministers agreed Tuesday to freeze formal contact with Russia as punishment for sending troops into Georgia. Russia responded Thursday by calling a halt to all military cooperation with NATO, an alliance official said.

With files from the Associated Press