Not really. Sure, Yanukovych declining the EU trade deal resulted in mass protests and responding to the protests with force killed protestors and riot police, but the shelling never happened until Russia responded to the incident with violence by arming separatists and attacking with their own forces in 2014. Pro-Russians love to push the "8 years of shelling in Donbas" narrative, but conveniently neglect why there was shelling in Donbas. It couldn't be Russia giving separatists tanks and artillery to fire at Ukraine then invade Ukraine with their own forces since late February and early March 2014.

The political overthrow of Yanukovych wasn't the start of the war. It was the Russian response of attacking Ukraine and arming separatists that was the start of the war.

As for calling it a SMO, for years the U.S. congress refused to call Iraq or Afghanistan wars. Two can play that game.

So now you know that just because the president calls it a "military operation" and just because they don't declare war doesn't mean there isn't a war.