“During the war, he reduced his prices to the last limit” – Kommersant FM

Kommersant FM columnist Pyotr Voronkov talks about the fate of a merchant who became the sole supplier of uniforms to the Russian army at the age of 21, and then for 30 years sought a review of the fabricated case of appropriation of state property.

Today we are heading to Pyatnitskaya Street, to house number 16. During the war with Napoleon, this mansion burned down, and a new one was built in its place. The merchant Vasily Vargin settled in it. His father was a serf and had no last name. But the whole family knitted and sold mittens. Hence the surname – mittens, vargi, Vargin.

Vasily Vasilyevich was quick-witted, savvy, read a lot of books, and therefore at the age of 17 he headed the family business. He quickly turned around and soon received the first government order for the supply of canvas for the army. Very soon he earned such trust that all government contracts were transferred to him. He also acquired a high-ranking patron in the person of the future Minister of War Tatishchev. He bought textile factories in Moscow, Vyazma, Kostroma, Pereslavl.

By 1812, Vasily became the only supplier of cloth, canvas and uniforms to the Russian army. He turned 21 years old. During the war, he reduced his prices to the last limit. Tatishchev wrote: “Vargin acted as a citizen sharing a common misfortune.” They say how one day a merchant learned that his convoy, moving along the river, could be captured by the enemy. He ordered it to be sunk immediately. His lost profits during the entire war amount to millions and millions of rubles…

Vargin visited France with the troops. He built a house in Moscow reminiscent of the Comedie France building in Paris. It was called the Maly Theater. In Moscow, he had 11 apartment buildings, owned a magnificent collection of diamonds, maintained a church choir, and was involved in charity work. In 1830 he found himself in the Peter and Paul Fortress on trumped-up charges of embezzlement of state property.

It’s all very simple – Tatishchev was replaced in his post by his worst enemy, Count Chernyshev… After 13 months, Vargin was released, but it took almost 30 years to achieve a review of the case. The merchant turned out to be completely innocent. When they told him that the state was forgiving him, he cried and said that it was he who needed to ask for forgiveness. A year later he died of a nervous stroke. And his magnificent diamonds have disappeared, they are still being searched for…