russia believes that its at war with the empire. i'd say that means its only a matter of time before things begin to get even more interesting;

This is not some kind of secret. The sanctions were a declaration of war, and it is arguable that the move to get the Ukraine into NATO was a declaration of war.

They are currently arming the enemies of Russia, and that has always been considered an act of war. That is how the US got into World War II.

RT:

Western powers opposing Russia in Ukraine could be considered enemies waging a war against the state, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. He pointed out that economic sanctions, the arming of Ukrainian nationalists, and giving them intel to attack Russian troops all amounted to acts of war.

“Sure, we are still using the mild term ‘unfriendly states’ when referring to them,” Peskov told an educational forum.

“But I would say they are hostile states, because what they do is war.”..............read and watch more.........