EU ceasefire monitors will not have access to a security zone south of Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia region.
Vitaly Manushko, a spokesperson for the Russian peacekeeping force around South Ossetia, said the monitors will begin conducting monitoring up to the southern borders of the security zone from tomorrow.
Under a French-brokered ceasefire deal, Russian troops stationed in Georgia since a brief war in August are to pull back from undisputed Georgian territory by 10 October and allow EU monitors to take over duties patrolling the security zone.
Mr Manushko said Russian and EU officials, meeting in the Georgian village of Karaleti today failed to finalise a technical and logistical agreement that would have allowed the EU monitors to enter the security zone from tomorrow.
A senior EU official said the EU contingent of more than 300 civilian monitors and support staff was deployed in Georgia and would be ready to begin their mission in the early hours of 1 October.
Georgian police are also expected to move into the security zone after the Russian withdrawal.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana was to visit Georgia today to mark the start of the monitors' deployment and meet Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
