peacefulpete: The word 'escalation' is slippery.
Perhaps, but it is an apt description. I am not speaking to the motivations of any of the players here. But if a restriction has been lifted that allows for greater damage and destruction to be brought to bear, it cannot be anything other than escalation.
Personally, I think Russia deserves every bit of the bloody nose they might get as a result. And the potential downside is quite small, for the West. The fact that they've openly armed/trained Ukraine makes me think that they feel Putin is cornered. If they are right, this gives Ukraine a better bargaining position if Trump is serious about trying to end the conflict.
If they're wrong, they may have created quite the mess for the next administration to have to deal with.