The power hungry wankers didn't attack and invade a sovereign nation,Russia did.
If the provocateur's actions lead directly to the commission of an offense, then they may also be considered guilty of that offense as an accomplice or co-conspirator. However, if the person who committed the offense was already predisposed to do so and the provocateur's actions did not actually cause the offense to occur, then the provocateur may not be considered as guilty as the offender. And this is where the foundation of the argument is, the West denies acting provocatively towards Russians, although the West would consider those actions as provocative if Russia was to be the provocateur.