it can't get much more obvious by observation of events but just in case the russian foreign minister, sergei lavrov tells the empire we're officially at war;

A chilling and alarming statement. Sergei Lavrov summoned U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy to the Russian Foreign Ministry and delivered a stinging demarche in response to the use of U.S. supplied cluster munitions in the attack on Russian civilians sunbathing on the shores of the Black Sea. Press reports offer this summary of the Russian position:

Washington “has effectively become a party” to the war on Ukraine’s side, the ministry said in a statement, adding, “Retaliatory measures will certainly follow.” It did not elaborate.

But my friend, Alexander Mercouris, provided a more detailed summary of what was said. I have been unable to find a link to what the Russian Foreign Ministry presented to Ambassador Tracy, but Alexander reports that the Russia message included this phrase, “We are no longer at peace.” While stopping short of declaring war, the line between peace and war has been erased. This should scare the hell out of the politicians and public in America. (If anyone finds the link, please share.)

What does Lavrov mean by saying, “Such actions will not go unanswered.” Brother Mercouris discounts the likelihood that Russia will declare a “No Fly” zone in the Black Sea or will shoot down U.S. Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft flying over the Black Sea. Instead, he argues that Russia will likely opt to supply weapons, previously denied, to Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and North Korea. Alexander argues that President Putin is not going to unnecessarily escalate in a way that might provoke a U.S. response. He may be right. But I think even those actions would be seen by Washington as a provocation requiring a U.S. response...........more..........