Who is the Russian oligarch who footed the bill for part of Donald Jr.’s wedding?

On 24 May, Donald Trump Jr. was celebrating in the Bahamas, write Justin Elliott and Brett Murphy in an investigation published by ProPublica: it was the final night of the US President’s son’s wedding to Bettina Anderson, a three-day celebration organised across two private islands. That evening, on the beach, Trump Jr. lifted his bride into the air whilst fireworks were set off from a barge out at sea. “It was everything we’d ever dreamed of and more,” his wife later wrote on Instagram. “That dream,” the two journalists write, “was heavily funded by a secret benefactor: Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch close to President Vladimir Putin.” Kremlev footed the bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars in wedding expenses, according to ProPublica’s documents and interviews. Kremlev heads the International Boxing Association (IBA), “a sports organisation mired in scandal,” writes ProPublica, “and funded by the Russian energy giant Gazprom. The payments for the wedding came from an IBA-affiliated entity in Dubai, used by the boxing association for financial transactions”. The guest list numbered around 50 people. It included Trump Jr.’s brother-in-law, Jared Kushner, Eric Trump and Kremlev himself, “an imposing man with a shaved head who speaks broken English”.

The relationship between Kremlev and Trump Jr., which had never previously come to light, “represents an extraordinary development: a member of Putin’s inner circle financially supporting the president’s son and gaining intimate access to the Trump family”. What could have prompted Kremlev to spend a fortune on cultivating this connection? “If I pay for your wedding, at some point you’ll owe me a favour,” says Frank Montoya Jr., a retired former FBI officer, in the investigation. Holden Triplett, who served as Trump’s director of counter-intelligence during his first term, says that Russian intelligence often seeks to establish ties with US government officials and their family members. “Money is a sure and effective way of gaining access.”

In the days leading up to Trump Jr.’s wedding, Kremlev was in China as part of the delegation accompanying Putin, according to Chinese media (Kremlev’s press office stated that he was not part of the ‘official delegation’). The Ukrainian government has imposed personal sanctions on Kremlev, citing his close ties to Putin and the Russian security services. “It is unclear why Kremlev helped pay for Trump Jr.’s wedding,” the two journalists write. “The two appear to have only met recently,” and the president’s son, with his net worth of $300 million, can afford to pay for the wedding himself. A spokesperson for Trump Jr. did not deny the payments: “Umar is a personal friend of Don’s,” he said; the two met through a mutual friend in the hunting world and share a passion for boxing and outdoor activities. A spokesperson for Donald Jr.’s brother, Eric, said of Kremlev: “Eric has absolutely no idea who this person is, nor has he ever heard his name.” Kremlev’s press office stated that the two “are friends” and that they met a couple of years ago. Several Russians were present at the very private wedding, although they do not appear in any of the photos: the top of Kremlev’s head is visible in a photo posted on Instagram by a friend of the bride.

Pro Publica reconstructs the story of the Russian benefactor: Umar Lutfulloyev, according to the independent Russian news outlet Proekt, changed his surname to Kremlev in 2010, then joined a Russian government-backed biker gang, the Night Wolves, which brought him into contact with Alexei Rubezhnoi, who now heads Putin’s presidential security service. In 2017, Kremlev took control of the Russian Boxing Federation, became its president in 2020 and brought in funding from Gazprom, which became the financial sponsor of the IBA. Former senior IBA officials have claimed that Kremlev had a clear political agenda: “Umar is guided by Putin. He used sport as a form of political soft power.” Kremlev, aged 43, is also involved with Healthy Fatherland, which is subject to Ukrainian sanctions for its alleged role in a programme to abduct Ukrainian children from occupied territories. Kremlev’s excellent relations with Putin’s government have made him wealthy.

In 2023, the International Olympic Committee stripped the IBA of its role in organising Olympic boxing, citing a series of governance and financial transparency issues. Kremlev therefore saw President Trump as a potential ally: in January 2025, he sent him a letter asking him to examine the Olympic Committee’s actions ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. In September 2025, the IBA involved Trump Jr. in a debate on boxing in Istanbul. The president’s son had every reason to be aware of the sensitivity of approaching an associate of Putin, especially whilst his father was managing Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. Much of the relationship between Kremlev and Trump Jr., and the direction it will take, remains shrouded in mystery: in a press release following the Istanbul panel, the IBA hinted that there is more to come.