In early March, Schifrin was covering negotiations between Russians and Ukrainians at an anti-aircraft base in Yevpatoria, Crimea. Afterward, a crowd of more than 150 people stopped Schifrin and a fellow reporter as they were trying to drive away, demanding the footage that they recorded. The crowd took pictures of their identification badges, slashed a tire on Schifrin’s car and then escorted them to a gas station to have the tire fixed before escorting Schifrin and his coworker out of town. On March 16, Schifrin tweeted that he had been assaulted again while covering the referendum in Simferopol.