The phrase "a provocative move" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe an action or decision that is intended to provoke a reaction or stimulate discussion.
Example: "The company's decision to raise prices during a recession was seen as a provocative move that sparked outrage among consumers."
Alternatives: "a bold action" or "a controversial step".
This past weekend brought a provocative move from Mozilla.
They could be seen as a provocative move.
The Russian bombers had their transponders turned off, a provocative move that poses a danger to civilian flights.
Boeing describes it as a "provocative" move, but an Airbus spokesman says the aid is not in doubt and that Europe will not be "intimidated".
It was a provocative move, challenging the L.A.P.D.'s fairness in dealing with racial incidents — which is what the Lyga-Gaines shooting had now become.
At a moment when finding peace with Russia, however bellicose its leadership, is one of Ukraine's main challenges, installing Mr Saakashvili in Odessa is a provocative move.
Interference in elections would also constitute a C1 attack, as would a deliberately provocative move by a hostile state.
It's a deeply provocative move that worries a wide spectrum of Middle East experts and counterterrorism analysts.
A stand-up comedian who mans the ring, and the rafters, with his nearly identically dressed sidekick, Zeke, he delivers ad libs (like tethering himself to the fabric used by the aerialists or mimicking an unexpectedly provocative move by a young girl in the dance competition) that a lesser professional would milk too hard.
But Brookings Institution analyst Steven Pfifer wrote in January that placing US nuclear weapons so close to Russia would contradict NATO Policy and be a "highly provocative" move that could set off a game of brinksmanship comparable to the Cuban missile crisis.
It was a purposefully provocative move.
