EUROPE'S MANY ATTEMPTS TO DISMEMBER AND PLUNDER RUSSIA

19 March 2025

Europe’s Many Attempts to Subjugate Russia

For centuries, European powers have repeatedly launched invasions and attacks against Russia, often under the leadership of a dominant Western power. These assaults have ranged from outright military invasions to economic and political subjugation. Was the motive a fear of Russia, or was it a greed for Russia's resources?

Napoleon’s Grand Failure (1812)

In June 1812, Napoleon assembled the largest invasion force the world had ever seen—600,000 troops—on a mission to conquer Russia. But this was not just a French attack. It was a European campaign, bringing together soldiers from France, Poland, Spain, Italy, Austria, Bavaria, Saxony, Westphalia, the Netherlands, Croatia, and Hungary. Six months later, this grand coalition was shattered by Russian resilience, the vastness of the land, and the brutal winter.

Hitler’s Barbarossa Disaster (1941)

Obsessed with Napoleon’s failure, Hitler sought to avoid his mistakes. In June 1941, he launched Operation Barbarossa, the largest military invasion in history: 3.8 million troops, 3,600 tanks, 2,700 aircraft, and tens of thousands of artillery pieces. Again, this was not just a German attack—it was a European assault. Troops from Germany, Finland, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Spain, Italy, Austria, Romania, Bulgaria, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Belgium all took part. They too failed, facing the same fate as Napoleon, as Russia’s vastness and resilience broke their campaign.

A Long History of Western Attacks on Russia

Russia has endured major invasions and interventions from the West since the 17th century:

1. Polish-Lithuanian Invasion (1598-1613)

During Russia’s "Time of Troubles," Poland sought to place a Polish king on the Russian throne. Polish forces occupied Moscow from 1610 to 1612 before being expelled by Russian militias.

2. Swedish Invasion (1708-1709)

Charles XII of Sweden invaded Russia but was crushed at the Battle of Poltava in 1709.

3. French Invasion (1812)

Napoleon’s doomed march to Moscow.

4. Crimean War (1853-1856)

A British-led coalition, including France, Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire, sought to weaken Russia.

5. World War I (1914-1918)

Germany and Austria-Hungary launched a massive Eastern Front offensive, with other European nations contributing troops.

6. Polish-Soviet War (1919-1921)

Poland attempted to carve out territory and create a buffer zone at Russia’s expense.

7. Western Intervention in Russian Civil War (1918-1922)

Britain, the U.S., Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Japan sent troops into Russia. The official narrative claims they supported the anti-Communist Whites, but in reality, their intervention helped stabilize Bolshevik rule. Western powers ensured that the Whites remained weak, allowing Lenin and Trotsky to consolidate power.

8. World War II (1941-1945)

Hitler’s doomed Operation Barbarossa.

The Economic War on Russia

9. The 1990s – A Silent Invasion

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia was not invaded militarily but economically. Western financial interests, acting through their proxies—the oligarchs—seized control of the country. Under Western-backed economic "shock therapy," Russia’s GDP collapsed by 50%, a far worse decline than during World War II. By the late 1990s:

Over 50% of Russians lived in poverty, with 25% in desperate conditions.

Death rates increased by 60%, with an estimated 5-6 million surplus deaths—equivalent to losing 3.4%-4% of the population.

Western banks and institutions effectively controlled Russia’s wealth until Putin began reversing this in the 2000s.

10. Ukraine War (2014-Present): The Latest Western Proxy War

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine is not a local civil war but a NATO-backed proxy war against Russia. The West has armed, financed, and trained Ukrainian forces, using them as a tool to weaken Russia.

Conclusion

From military invasions to economic warfare, Europe’s history with Russia has been one of hostility, betrayal, and failed conquests. Russia has survived them all.

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THE RISE, THE FALL, THE REINCARNATION OF DEBENHAMS

19 March 2025

Debenhams: The Rise, The Fall, The Reincarnation

Once a stalwart of the British high street, Debenhams was a textbook example the retail department store chain that fell out of fashion.. It didn’t just stumble; it was tripped, shoved, flattened and felled under the weight of private equity debt, shifting shopping habits, and a changing social fabric.

The Debt-Driven Doom Loop

Debenhams’ demise wasn’t simply about poor management or declining footfall. It was first and foremost a victim of financial engineering. Private equity owners loaded it up with debt, extracting value while leaving the business shackled to eye-watering repayments. This is what they always do, we can hear them coming by their big cheque books.

With rents on long, inflexible leases piling on the pressure, the company had little breathing space to adapt when consumer spending habits started to shift.

A Store Built for a Shrinking Middle Class

Debenhams sat comfortably in the middle of the UK department store hierarchy. It was not as luxurious as Harrods, Selfridges, or Fenwick; but it was also not as budget-focused as BHS or Woolworths. It positioned itself as a mainstream, mid-market department store catering to middle-class, price-conscious shoppers looking for affordable fashion, homeware, and beauty products, offering dependable, middle-class fashion and homewares. But the middle-class customer base was eroding, squeezed by stagnating wages and rising living costs.

Where did the ex-Debenhams shopper go?

Some went upmarket, seeking quality at John Lewis or boutique retailers.

Many went downmarket, chasing fast fashion at Primark and Zara—the budget-friendly haunts of clubbers and teenagers.

The rest simply left the high street altogether, moving online to the efficiency of Amazon and Boohoo.

By the time I visited the Southampton store in its final days, the grandeur was long gone. Instead of a bustling department store, it felt like a jumble sale, with stacks of discount ladder-proof tights and bargain bins full of last-gasp clearance stock.

The Tragic Squeeze: Costs Up, Sales Down

This was the perfect retail nightmare:

 ▪︎ Debt repayments were skyrocketing

 ▪︎ Operating costs were relentless

 ▪︎ Footfall was plummeting.

Debenhams fought back with store closures, staff layoffs, and desperate restructuring attempts, but none of it was enough. Perhaps subletting parts of its stores to pop-up markets or food halls could have worked - turning them into retail souks in the style of a bustling north African bazaar. But it was too late for tinkering.

Then came the final blow: COVID. The enforced closures of 2020 accelerated an already terminal decline. With revenue obliterated, it was only a matter of time before liquidation came a-knocking.

Reincarnation: Boohoo’s Digital Makeover

Just when we thought Debenhams was a relic of retail history, in swooped Boohoo, the online fast-fashion giant. It bought the brand and intellectual property, stripped away the stores, and transformed it into a pure online retailer with an excellent delivery software.

And now? Full circle irony.

As Boohoo rebrands itself as Debenhams, the same shoppers who had abandoned department stores for cheap online fashion will now see Debenhams reborn as an e-commerce player.

Meanwhile, in yet another twist of fate, the shell of Debenhams’ former store in Edinburgh is becoming a high-end "capsule" hotel - sleep on a shelf. The same Chinese manufacturers who produce Boohoo’s fast fashion are now the biggest tourist spenders in the UK, returning to shop, not in a department store, but in a boutique eggbox hotel built on its ruins.

What goes around comes around.

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