It would be very stupid of Russia to knowingly create a war between itself and NATO, however it would be equally stupid for NATO to persue any such war onto Russian territory. That way lies madness. That's the major caveat that I'd add to any suggestions of Russian weakness. We could push them out of the Ukraine, but any thoughts of 'kicking down the door and the whole rotten lot coming down' are best left to the Wolfs lair.
So, no, not very likely that Russia would knowingly start a war with NATO, and likewise NATO would be very loathe to start one with Russia. So what's happening right now is both sides figuring out just how far they can go to achieve their goals before the gloves come off. I think Putin would be very stupid to attempt anything major in East Ukraine, but equally I may well have once upon a time said such a thing of Hitler post Munich...so I'm going to just sit back and see how this one pans out.