US humanitarian aid has finally made its way to Georgia by way of the Georgian Black Sea, avoiding the port of Poti, which is controlled by Russian forces. Earlier this week, Russia’s president Dmitry Medevedev recognized two Georgian territories, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as separate nations, which greatly angered the US and much of the European Union.

The original plan was to ship the aid to Poti, which the US government announced it would do yesterday. Then early this morning the plans seemed to shift, docking the ship at Batumi instead--near the Black Sea.  Moscow hit back with a verbal attack on the US delivering supplies  by military ships. The US embassy claims that plans were changed due to rising tensions between Russia and the US.

“The decision of where to send aid was made at the highest level of the Pentagon and the only decision was to sent it to Batumi,” a U.S. Embassy spokesperson announced today.

Poti’s port suffered “heavy damage” from the Russian military in the past. (Sergei Grits and Jim Heintz, Associated Press) Russian presence there is considered unlawful by Western nations, and a “clear violation of an European Union-brokered-cease-fire.”

A Russian general said the US’s decision to use a military warship to deliver aid was “devilish.” “The heightened activity of NATO ships in the Black Sea perplexes us, “ General Antoly Nogovitisyn said. The ship he’s referring to is the missile destroyer USS McFaul, which delivered 34 tons of supplies to distressed Georgians today.

Though the fighting has ceased in Georgia since attacks started on August 7, insiders have reason to believe Russian forces are still present at security checkpoints in the region. Both Eastern European states Georgia and the Ukraine have recently expressed hopes to join NATO, which shows disapproval from the Russians to an even higher degree.