Now Putin will have to reach for new options. He has always refused to back down when he is rebuffed. He will hit back harder - and he has the weapons to do it.
As Chelsea's fans filed through the narrow streets in a downpour and on to the Oak Road End of this compact stadium, the significance of Abramovich's words sank in.
Nikita became a driver in a mechanised infantry division, but his earnings did not translate into a comfortable standard of living. His monthly salary of 18,000 roubles before the rouble crashed - was just enough to get by on in rural Russia.