Yuri Stepanovich Nechaev-Maltsov, born on October 23, 1834, and died on October 21, 1913, was a well-known Russian patron, philanthropist, manufacturer, translator, and diplomat. He owned glass factories and was an honorary citizen of Vladimir, as well as a member of the Moscow Archaeological Society and the Imperial Academy of Arts. Additionally, Nechaev-Maltsov held the positions of secret advisor and chief court master.

Yuri Stepanovich was born in the ancestral estate of the Nechaevs in the village of Storozhevaya Slobodka (now Polibino in the Lipetsk region). His father, Stepan Dmitrievich Nechaev, was the chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod and a senator. In 1853, Yuri graduated from the 1st Moscow Gymnasium with a silver medal, and in 1857, from the law faculty of Moscow University. He worked in the main archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, engaged in translations, and carried out diplomatic assignments in various European cities, including Berlin and Paris.

For a long time, Yuri Stepanovich was the chief assistant to his uncle Ivan Maltsov, proving himself to be a modest and hardworking person. In 1880, shortly before his death, Ivan Sergeyevich declared Yuri his heir, transferring several factories and plants to him, including the largest Gusev Crystal Factory. Ivan explained this by stating that there was no one among the relatives who could manage the factories. Upon inheriting, Yuri adopted his uncle's surname, becoming Nechaev-Maltsov.

Since 1880, he lived in St. Petersburg in the former mansion of Count Kochubey. In 1883-1884, architect Leonty Benois decorated the interiors of this building in the Rococo style at Nechaev-Maltsov's request.

Yuri Stepanovich actively supported various organizations in Moscow and St. Petersburg and engaged in charity work in the Vladimir region. In 1885, he founded the Ivan Maltsov Technical School in Vladimir, which was considered one of the best in Europe. He also donated glass for the Historical Museum in Vladimir and built the Church of St. George in Gus-Khrustalny and the Church of Dmitry of Thessalonica in Berezovka.

Nechaev-Maltsov entered history as the man who gifted Russia the Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, financing its construction almost entirely. During the work on the museum, he became a close friend of Professor Ivan Tsvetaev, the museum's founder.

Yuri Stepanovich interacted with many famous figures of his time. His estate in Polibino hosted such personalities as Leo Tolstoy, Ilya Repin, and Anna Akhmatova. The estate preserved a steel tower, created according to the design of Vladimir Shukhov, which Nechaev-Maltsov acquired at the exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod in 1896. This was the first hyperboloid structure in the world.

Yuri Stepanovich died in St. Petersburg in October 1913 and was buried in the necropolis of the Resurrection Monastery. His grave has not survived. According to his will, his estate passed to Count Pavel Ignatiev in 1914. In 1918, the enterprises were nationalized, and the Maltsov Combine was established on their basis.