Russian President Vladimir Putin.ALEXANDER MEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images Russia is ramping up threats toward the West as weapons and other forms of support flow into Ukraine. Putin warned there would be "lightning-fast" retaliation should any country intervene in Ukraine. "I don't advise you to test our patience further," a Russian foreign ministry spokesperson said Thursday. Russia warned the West on Thursday that the conflict could spread beyond Ukraine as leaders of NATO countries pour heavy weapons into the eastern European country to help them fight Russian forces in the country's east and south.