Although it's hard to put a finger on the exact time without more information, I theorize that Russia--well, certain people in Russia--have foreseen what has finally spilled over in Ukraine, and have long worked both to avoid and prepare for this day.

I haven't spent much time effort on it, but for anyone interested in the backstory I suggest you begin with a man I believe was a key figure: Anatoly Sobchak

... a co-author of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the first democratically elected mayor of Saint Petersburg, and a mentor and teacher of future presidents Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev.

Think you would have heard of this guy, right? Well, the mere fact that the Western mainstream doesn't ever mention him is a clue in and of itself.