I don't know what the difference between a "special operation" and "war" is, but I do strongly think that if you already have committed 100k+ troops, thousands

I don't know what the difference between a "special operation" and "war" is, but I do strongly think that if you already have committed 100k+ troops, thousands of tanks, hundreds of helicopters, lots of artillery, and are lobbing cruise missiles into cities, then adding on an air component doesn't materially change it's classification.