Blogging from Poti - A Tense Georgian Town

(POTI, Georgia) A journalist with RFE/RL's Georgian Service, Tea Absaridze, is blogging daily from her hometown of Poti, a vital Black Sea port that has suffered Russian bombardment and occupation since fighting broke out last month.  

Behind the Poti Lines gives readers access into the café debates, neighborhood gossip and public mood as Russian troops continue to dig in on the outskirts of town.  The result is a unique window into the challenges ordinary Georgians face in the midst of their conflict with Russia.

Last month, Absaridze's colleague, Goga Aptsiauri, live blogged from Gori as Georgians monitored Russia's pledge to withdraw its troops.

"These blogs are an important part of the way our journalists are sorting through the ethnic and nationalist passions stirred up by this conflict in order to let people know what is actually happening on the ground," says RFE/RL Georgia Service Director David Kakabadze. "With the Russian and Georgian media providing, at times, wildly different accounts of what is taking place, our listeners depend on us for accurate, objective information."

RFE/RL's Tbilisi bureau has correspondents throughout the country reporting on the conflict with Russia. For more, visit RFE/RL's Georgia Crisis Page, a comprehensive site with the latest news, analysis, photos and video.