--- description: Ukraine's interim government stood firm firm as Russia threatened to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine and more troops stream into Crimea title: Russia Forges Ahead In Crimea With Threat To Ukraine Gas Supply image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d02138553f73fdd/6986848af983e7a70504ca3e/koy201403060135.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Russia Turns The Screws On Ukraine With Gas Supply Threat ## Video: Timeline: Crisis in Crimea [Watch (HLS stream): Timeline: Crisis in Crimea](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/G5aiotwm.m3u8) (3:23)  _Published 2014-03-08. As the situation continues to unfold over the coming days and weeks, Russians and Ukrainians will confront hard choices about how far to go in challenging one another and how much suffering each nation can endure._ by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 8, 2014 4:35 PM CUT  A rally of Pro-Russian supporters in Sevastopool, Ukraine, March 06, 2014. A rally of Pro-Russian supporters in Sevastopool, Ukraine, March 06, 2014.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 8, 2014 4:35 PM CUT Moscow ratcheted up pressure on Crimea Saturday by threatening to cut off crucial gas supplies to Ukraine, but the interim government in Kiev remained defiant of Russia’s bare-knuckled tactics and announced Ukraine would not “not give up Crimea to anyone.” On Friday Moscow brandished its sharpest weapons yet in the crisis. Russia’s state-owned, monolithic gas company Gazprom warned it would switch off gas supplies to Ukraine if the financially strapped country does not pay its bills, [reports](http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303369904579424540787917088 "undefined") the Wall Street _Journal_, and the Kremlin sent clear signals it is ready annex Crimea, inviting the region’s separatist leader to Moscow after Russia’s upper house of parliament pledged to support Crimea’s bid to join the country. Ukraine’s interim government stood firm under Russian pressure Saturday, saying Russia’s annexation of the region would be unconstitutional and violate international law—a claim that Western leaders have also made. “Crimea is and will be Ukrainian territory, and we will not give up Crimea to anyone,” [Ukraine’](http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-crimea-interim-government-says-it-has-no-plans-to-cede-to-russia/2014/03/08/df1261d0-a6c3-11e3-9cff-b1406de784f0%5Fstory.html?tid=hpModule%5F04941f10-8a79-11e2-98d9-3012c1cd8d1e "undefined")s acting foreign minister, Andriy Deshchytsia said, the Washington _Post_ reports. The announced March 16 [referendum](http://time.com/16318/ukraine-crimea-referendum-russia/ "undefined") in Crimea would propose that the predominantly ethnic Russian peninsula secede from Ukraine and join Russia. The Kremlin already effectively controls the territory after invading last week and barricading Ukrainian troops in their bases. The referendum is “illegitimate and will not have any legal implications for Crimea, for Ukraine, as well as for the international community,” said Deshchytsia. Tensions remained high in Crimea Saturday, a day after Russian troops [attempted to storm a Ukrainian army base](http://time.com/16294/russia-crimea-sevastopol/ "undefined") before retreating. A team of international military observers was again refused entry to Crimea on Saturday, [reports](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26495378 "undefined") the BBC, and two journalists were attacked and beaten during the standoff. Russian forces fired warning shots as a convoy from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe attempted to enter the peninsula. More Russian troops have been sighted unloading in eastern Crimea on Friday, [reports](http://time.com/16870/russian-troops-crimea/ "undefined") the Associated Press. Meanwhile, the Russian defense ministry said it was considering backing off of international arms control treaties by halting foreign weapons inspections of its arsenal as a result of US and NATO responses to the crisis. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/16915/russia-turns-the-screws-on-ukraine-with-gas-supply-threat/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/16915/russia-turns-the-screws-on-ukraine-with-gas-supply-threat/"},"headline":"Russia Turns The Screws On Ukraine With Gas Supply Threat","datePublished":"2014-03-08T16:35:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:39:44.918Z","description":"The Ukrainian government remained defiant as Russian state-owned monolithic gas company Gazprom warned it may switch off gas supplies if the financially strapped country does not pay its bills","url":"https://time.com/16915/russia-turns-the-screws-on-ukraine-with-gas-supply-threat/","keywords":["Ukraine","russia","Crimea","referendum"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d02138553f73fdd/6986848af983e7a70504ca3e/koy201403060135.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d02138553f73fdd/6986848af983e7a70504ca3e/koy201403060135.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Sevastopol Ukraine March 06 2014","caption":"Sevastopol Ukraine March 06 2014","creditText":"Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/16915/russia-turns-the-screws-on-ukraine-with-gas-supply-threat/","name":"Russia Turns The Screws On Ukraine With Gas Supply Threat"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Timeline: Crisis in Crimea","description":"As the situation continues to unfold over the coming days and weeks, Russians and Ukrainians will confront hard choices about how far to go in challenging one another and how much suffering each nation can endure.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/G5aiotwm/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-03-08T00:20:47.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/G5aiotwm.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/16915/russia-turns-the-screws-on-ukraine-with-gas-supply-threat/","duration":"PT3M23S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/16915/russia-turns-the-screws-on-ukraine-with-gas-supply-threat/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```