# Alexandra Tolstoy
**Alexandra Tolstoy** (born 1974) is a British equestrian adventurer, television presenter, and entrepreneur, known for the BBC series *Horse People with Alexandra Tolstoy* and for a 5,000-mile horse and camel trek along the [Silk Road](https://www.edgepedia.org/silk-road) in 1999.[1](https://cayumas.com/en/blogs/cayumas-journal-blog/journal-65-entrevista-a-alexandra-tolstoy) • [2](https://www.ppafestival.co.uk/2023/en/node/speakerprofile-alexandra-tolstoy) She is the eldest daughter of the Anglo-Russian historian and writer Count Nikolai Tolstoy-Miloslavsky, the current head of the noble House of Tolstoy, which is distantly related to the novelist [Leo Tolstoy](https://www.edgepedia.org/leo-tolstoy).[3](https://cherwell.org/2020/04/26/in-conversation-with-countess-alexandra-tolstoy/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and title | Alexandra Tolstoy, officially Countess Tolstoy; daughter of Count Nikolai Tolstoy-Miloslavsky[3](https://cherwell.org/2020/04/26/in-conversation-with-countess-alexandra-tolstoy/) |
| Born | 1974[4](https://seva.ru/oborot/guests/?id=572) |
| Education | MA (Hons) in Russian language and literature, Edinburgh University[2](https://www.ppafestival.co.uk/2023/en/node/speakerprofile-alexandra-tolstoy) |
| Silk Road expedition | 5,000 miles by horse and camel from Merv in Turkmenistan to Xian in China, 1999, with three friends[2](https://www.ppafestival.co.uk/2023/en/node/speakerprofile-alexandra-tolstoy) |
| Television | *Horse People with Alexandra Tolstoy* (BBC)[1](https://cayumas.com/en/blogs/cayumas-journal-blog/journal-65-entrevista-a-alexandra-tolstoy) |
| Business | Runs The Tolstoy Edit, combining travel experience with design and the equestrian lifestyle[1](https://cayumas.com/en/blogs/cayumas-journal-blog/journal-65-entrevista-a-alexandra-tolstoy) |
## Early life and education
Tolstoy grew up in [Oxfordshire](https://www.edgepedia.org/oxfordshire) and has described herself as an adventurous, rebellious child who, aged 11, announced that she wanted to go to boarding school.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/13/alexandra-tolstoy-interview-sergei-pugachev-planned-his-escape) Having earned strong A-level results and secured an offer from Edinburgh University to read philosophy, she was sent by her father to spend the year before university in Moscow, reconnecting with the [Tolstoy family](https://www.edgepedia.org/tolstoy-family)'s Russian roots.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/13/alexandra-tolstoy-interview-sergei-pugachev-planned-his-escape) She has said of that visit: "I fell in love with the place and decided to study Russian. That visit changed the whole course of my life."[5](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/13/alexandra-tolstoy-interview-sergei-pugachev-planned-his-escape) She graduated with an MA (Hons) in [Russian language](https://www.edgepedia.org/russian-language) and literature.[2](https://www.ppafestival.co.uk/2023/en/node/speakerprofile-alexandra-tolstoy)
## The Silk Road expedition and equestrian career
After a brief period on the equity desk of a City bank, Tolstoy set off with three girlfriends and a Royal Geographical Society grant to travel the Silk Road across central Asia to China by horse and camel.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/13/alexandra-tolstoy-interview-sergei-pugachev-planned-his-escape) The nine-month journey of 5,000 miles ran from Merv in [Turkmenistan](https://www.edgepedia.org/turkmenistan) to Xian in China, and involved living in tents in some of the most challenging and remote locations on earth.[2](https://www.ppafestival.co.uk/2023/en/node/speakerprofile-alexandra-tolstoy) She wrote a book about the trek, *The Last Secrets of the Silk Road* (Profile Books).[6](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/general/equestrianism-tolstoy-tells-of-great-trek-along-ancient-trade-route-83270.html) • [5](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/13/alexandra-tolstoy-interview-sergei-pugachev-planned-his-escape)
She then embarked on further trips to Mongolia and eastern Siberia before signing a contract with the BBC to make the television series *Horse People with Alexandra Tolstoy*, about cultures dependent on horses.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/13/alexandra-tolstoy-interview-sergei-pugachev-planned-his-escape) Over the following decade she continued to explore Mongolia, Siberia, Russia, and Central Asia by horse.[2](https://www.ppafestival.co.uk/2023/en/node/speakerprofile-alexandra-tolstoy) She has more recently spent years guiding visitors through [Kyrgyzstan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyrgyzstan) on horseback, and has partnered with Ampersand Travel to curate boutique tours of Russia.[7](https://theweek.com/culture-life/travel/riding-in-the-mountains-of-kyrgyzstan) • [8](https://www.christies.com/en/stories/alexandra-tolstoy-interview-a2f37beef1c84c75936477fc4376e9c8)
## Relationship with Sergei Pugachev
In 2008 Tolstoy met Sergei Pugachev, then one of Russia's most influential men, a Russian oligarch once worth an estimated $15 billion who had been among [Vladimir Putin](https://www.edgepedia.org/vladimir-putin)'s inner circle and was once known as "Putin's banker".[3](https://cherwell.org/2020/04/26/in-conversation-with-countess-alexandra-tolstoy/) • [5](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/13/alexandra-tolstoy-interview-sergei-pugachev-planned-his-escape) After Putin's eradication of the oligarchy, and the disappearance of a $1 billion loan from the state to Pugachev's bank, which failed a year later, Pugachev fled Russia in fear of his life, allegedly receiving death threats to himself and their children.[3](https://cherwell.org/2020/04/26/in-conversation-with-countess-alexandra-tolstoy/) The couple had three children together: Alexei, known as Aliosha; Ivan; and Maria.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/13/alexandra-tolstoy-interview-sergei-pugachev-planned-his-escape)
In July 2015 Pugachev left the United Kingdom without warning, surfacing three weeks later in Nice on the [French Riviera](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-riviera), where he owns a château.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/13/alexandra-tolstoy-interview-sergei-pugachev-planned-his-escape) He was unable to return to Britain, where he faced arrest, and Tolstoy remained in London with the children.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/13/alexandra-tolstoy-interview-sergei-pugachev-planned-his-escape) She has since described her lifestyle as unassuming compared with the period she spent with Pugachev, which included a 200-acre estate in [Hertfordshire](https://www.edgepedia.org/hertfordshire) and a $40 million beach-front Caribbean villa.[3](https://cherwell.org/2020/04/26/in-conversation-with-countess-alexandra-tolstoy/)
## Personal life
Tolstoy's first husband was Shamil Galimzyanov, an Uzbek showjumper she had met during her Silk Road expedition, employed as a guide, whom she married in 2003.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/13/alexandra-tolstoy-interview-sergei-pugachev-planned-his-escape) She has described the marriage, later dissolved, as struck by "the romantic madness of the steppes".[5](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/13/alexandra-tolstoy-interview-sergei-pugachev-planned-his-escape)
## References
1. [Journal 65: Interview with Alexandra Tolstoy, Cayumas](https://cayumas.com/en/blogs/cayumas-journal-blog/journal-65-entrevista-a-alexandra-tolstoy)
2. [Alexandra Tolstoy speaker profile, PPA Festival 2023](https://www.ppafestival.co.uk/2023/en/node/speakerprofile-alexandra-tolstoy)
3. [In Conversation with Countess Alexandra Tolstoy, Cherwell](https://cherwell.org/2020/04/26/in-conversation-with-countess-alexandra-tolstoy/)
4. [Севаоборот: Александра Толстая](https://seva.ru/oborot/guests/?id=572)
5. [Alexandra Tolstoy interview: 'Sergei must have planned his escape. He didn't tell me so I didn't have to lie about it', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/13/alexandra-tolstoy-interview-sergei-pugachev-planned-his-escape)
6. [Equestrianism: Tolstoy tells of great trek along ancient trade route, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/general/equestrianism-tolstoy-tells-of-great-trek-along-ancient-trade-route-83270.html)
7. [Riding in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, The Week](https://theweek.com/culture-life/travel/riding-in-the-mountains-of-kyrgyzstan)
8. [Alexandra Tolstoy: 'Everything we've got is in its own right very unusual and special', Christie's](https://www.christies.com/en/stories/alexandra-tolstoy-interview-a2f37beef1c84c75936477fc4376e9c8)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Other individual sports and outdoor recreation › Outdoor recreation and equestrian sports › Equestrian sports › Equestrian people*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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