Crimea is poised to vote on a referendum that will decide the fate of Eastern Europe and reset the balance of power in the world. Yet, tensions remain high between Russia and the West. Moves by both the West and Russia show the other's intensions as well as tactics but no one is sure what the other will do next.

In an attempt to slow down or unarm the validity of Sunday's vote, the United Nations prepared to vote on a resolution that would make the Crimea referendum invalid and illegal. Russia vetoed the motion, killing it on the Council's floor, according to Time magazine. Russia is one of the five permanent Security Council members with veto power. A usual Russian ally, China abstained from the vote. China's refusal to vote shows even an ally's second thoughts on the Crimea debacle. U.S. ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, criticized Russia's actions.

The Russian Federation has the power to veto a Security Council resolution, but it does not have the power to veto the truth," she said. "Russia cannot change the fact that moving forward in blatant defiance of the international rules of the road will have consequences." In the meantime, the West moves independently to sanction Russia.

The planned sanctions planned by Europe and the United States against Russia would target specific individuals and prevent them from traveling into Europe or America and would freeze any assets in both places, according to the New York Times. Those targeted are Russian's within Putin's inner circle and Sergei K. Shoigu, the defense minister; Aleksandr V. Bortnikov, director of the Federal Security Service; Nikolai P. Patrushev, the secretary of the security council; Sergei B. Ivanov and Vladislav Surkov, two of Mr. Putin's closest and most powerful advisers; Dmitri O. Rogozin, a deputy prime minister; Aleksei Miller, the chief executive of Gazprom, the state energy giant; and Igor Sechin, head of the oil company Rosneft.

The foreign affairs minister was kept off the list to allow him to travel for diplomatic duties. Yet it does not look like diplomacy is succeeding. According to the Times, Russia has taken over a power plant on mainland Ukraine. The plant, which provided natural gas to Crimea, was taken over by Russian paratroopers, according to Ukrainian officials. Crimea's pro-Russia government called the takeover necessary by accusing the Ukraine of shutting down energy to the peninsula, though none of the allegations can be proven independently.