Personally I think the west is going to try all the same. And it'll go about as terribly as can be expected, especially with Russia returning to its anti-colonial legacy.
It can be delayed, and perhaps (depending on circumstance) should be, but IMO the imperialists will not go out without trying to take the world down with them. It's not in their nature, the nature of their ideologies, institutions, etc.
I don't think they have seen anything over the event horizon either. They can't make legitimate strategy that involves nuclear annihilation. The risk comes from the fanatics they are cultivating.
The solution will be the same thing that will prevent the USA from being successful in large scale invasion, domestic rebellion. There will not be enough soldiers to fight, there are people who will fight the fanatics to stop a launch. It's tenuous, but it's what's going to happen and when you consider the circumstances, it's the only way it can happen. The empire has to eat itself.
especially with Russia returning to its anti-colonial legacy.
LOL. Russia is the caveman\gangster kind of colonialist power - their MO is somehow presenting themselves as helpful, killing a few unpleasant people in process, then for some time getting cookies for "trust me bro, I'll help you when it gets bad", and then selling that bro to another bro, rinse and repeat.
Also they sometimes directly bully those who give them the middle finger.
Nothing is collapsing around me, but it sucks to think about American basement dwellers dreaming how it's all anti-colonialism in fucking Russia of all places.