Merchant VS: How Russian Entrepreneurs of the Past Fought, Built, and Triumphed

"A daring merchant rode to the fair." Just the way we like it. If he rode to the fair, it meant he had something to offer—money or goods. Hardworking, so his business thrived. And yet, a thirst for celebration lived within him. The merchant is a vivid embodiment of the complex Russian character—both a toiler and a dreamer in one. He might count every penny, yet in the next moment, give away his last shirt if he believes it’s the right and honorable thing to do. The merchant is synonymous with "creator." Not just a builder of factories, steamships, and businesses, but also a guardian of traditional values—often their guarantor.

Why "Merchant VS," meaning "against"? Because as soon as you start creating—and thus transforming the world around you—you inevitably enter into a struggle: with circumstances, with people, and sometimes with yourself. The series will tell eight gripping stories of how merchants battled:

Each other on the football field (Kuznetsov VS Smirnov: porcelain vs. textiles);

Earth’s gravity (merchant Artur Anatra, pioneer of Russian aviation);

Common sense (Alexander Khanzhonkov, purveyor of "magic lanterns" and early cinema);

Their own hearts or stinginess (Kozma Soldatenkov and Gavriil Solodovnikov);

Even their own wealth, like Innokenty Sibiryakov, who wrote to Leo Tolstoy: "Help me, I’m too rich!"

Project leader Svetlana Shurygina-Nekhorosheva explains:

"Russian merchants were a class that created, elevated, and affirmed itself… without losing touch with its roots. We don’t idealize them—we explore their personalities, ambitions, mistakes, and passions, from aviation to revelry. In our series, merchants aren’t stereotypes but living heroes with dramatic and humorous twists of fate: loving, fighting, cunning, curious. But always building—for themselves, their families, their homeland—truly, for centuries. Today’s entrepreneurs, their heirs, look to the past to avoid mistakes in the future and keep their bearings. Our series is about real, complex, and astonishing people."

Historians still have much work to do in assessing the role of Russian merchants in the late 19th century—both in developing philanthropy and strengthening the nation’s economy. Philosopher Georgy Fedotov wrote:

"In the 1880s–90s, the Chekhov era, the only force embodying Russian vigor and enterprise was the merchant. Often crude and cruel, it was this force that saved the nation amid the nobility’s decline… Their brilliant talent marked the rise of new social strata. They deserve artistic biographies; they still await their Plutarch."

Today, we eat candies from factories founded by merchants like the Abrikosovs, Leonovs, and Einem, fly on domestic aircraft, recite poetry from journals published by merchant patrons, and visit theaters, museums, and galleries they established. So, in the end, our merchants overcame all obstacles. And that means there’s hope for those who believe in their work today and fight for their dreams.