Wars tend to happen slowly, then all at once. Arguably the US and Russia were already in a war (albeit fairly cold) when the drone was hit. They were in the pr

Wars tend to happen slowly, then all at once. Arguably the US and Russia were already in a war (albeit fairly cold) when the drone was hit. They were in the process of maneuvering and prepare the information space. After the drone strike, civilian support for conflict with Russia increased, and America used that increased support to put increased pressure on Russia in various places.