KIEV, Dec. 15 – Top managers of Russian natural gas giant Gazprom cancelled their upcoming holidays and will celebrate the New Year in office, perhaps preparing for a standoff with Ukraine, a Russian analyst said Monday.

“As far as I know the top management of Gazprom cancelled their New Year holidays and will be celebrating in the office,” Yevgeniy Minchenko, director of the International Institute for Political Expertise, said at an energy conference in Kiev.