On 9 August 2008, the Abkhaz military, with support by Russian forces, launched an operation to remove the remaining Georgian troops from the disputed gorge.

On 8 August 2008, Ella Polyakova, chairman of Soldiers' Mothers of Petersburg NGO, reported that she had spoken with deputy commander of the Leningrad Military District Ruslan Nekhai who was in Kodori Gorge for "collecting the plants".

[6] The CIS peacekeepers deterred initial Abkhaz attempts to deploy military to the border area with Georgia.

An official in the headquarters of the Russian Navy claimed that "the purpose of the Black Sea Fleet vessels' presence in this region is to provide aid to refugees."

Abkhaz president Sergei Bagapsh ordered to expel the Georgian military from the Upper Kodori Valley.

[12] Abkhaz artillery and aircraft began a bombardment against Georgian troops in the upper Kodori Gorge on 9 August.

[16] Shamba said that a treaty with South Ossetia obliged Abkhazia to move and "Georgian forces in the Kodori Gorge posed a real threat.

[7] By the evening, Bagapsh said in a statement that his decision to start a military operation against the Upper Kodori Valley was approved by the parliament.

[19] Georgian authorities said that Russian warplanes bombed the Kodori gorge, including the seat of pro-Georgian government of Abkhazia.

On 11 August 2008, Mirab Kishmaria, Abkhaz defense minister, threatened to destroy all Georgian forces in Abkhazia if they did not use the humanitarian corridor.

[3][22] Later, Garri Kupalba, Abkhaz Deputy Minister of Defense, said that there still were 2,500 Georgian soldiers in the Kodori gorge, but 1,000 civilians had used the corridor.

Major General Anatoly Zaitsev said, "The armed forces of Abkhazia have reached the Georgian border in the Kodori Gorge."

[29][30] That day, Georgia's Deputy Interior Minister, Eka Zguladze, confirmed the Georgian withdrawal, saying that Georgia withdrew its troops from the Kodori gorge as a "goodwill gesture" and this announcement came at the same time as French president Nicolas Sarkozy was delivering the ceasefire agreement approved by Saakashvili to Moscow.

The Abkhaz authorities said they were allowing the return of the refugees,[35] but by late March 2009, only 130 people resided in the Upper Kodori Valley.

[8] The Russian peacekeeping commander in Abkhazia Major General Sergei Chaban declared on early 10 August that Georgian military present in the Zugdidi district must lay down arms.

[3] Chaban stated that the deadline was set at 06:00 GMT on 11 August and the Russian military would demilitarize the Georgian forces near Abkhazia.

[3] Georgian Deputy Defense Minister Batu Kutelia said that about 30 armored vehicles and more than 20 truckloads of Russian troops took part in the occupation of the Senaki base.

[41] Russian Defense Ministry said that in Senaki, Russia was conducting "an operation aimed at preventing Georgian forces from regrouping to carry new attacks on South Ossetia."

Senaki has a key location on the Georgian main highway connecting the west of the country with the eastern part and its takeover would isolate the Black Sea port of Poti.

An Associated Press Television News team witnessed Russian forces looking for Georgian military hardware near Poti.

"[46] On 16 August 2008, the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the boundary with Abkhazia was unilaterally changed to run along the Inguri River by the Russian military and the Abkhaz separatists.