World
Who is Umar Kremlev? Putin ally who funded Trump Jr’s Bahamas wedding
Russian businessman Umar Kremlev, a Putin-linked figure and head of the International Boxing Association, helped fund celebrations following Donald Trump Jr’s Bahamas wedding.
FULL ARTICLE · The Indian Express World
6 min readUpdated: Sep 16, 2026 12:37 AM IST
Donald Trump Jr, center, speaks with his wife Bettina, left, as they wait for US President Donald Trump to deliver remarks to US embassy staff at Deerfield Residence in Dublin. (AP FILE)
Russian businessman Umar Kremlev, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin and head of the International Boxing Association (IBA), has come under scrutiny after reports that he helped pay for celebrations following Donald Trump Jr’s wedding in the Bahamas.
ProPublica first reported the disclosure, saying Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the celebrations, including renting one of two private islands where guests stayed and staging a fireworks display. The report was based on financial records and interviews with people familiar with the event.
The couple later confirmed Kremlev’s involvement. In an Instagram statement reported by Associated Press, Bettina Trump described Kremlev as a “dear friend” who had “very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations” after their wedding. She called it an “extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend”.
Donald Trump Jr.’s Relationship With Umar Kremlev In September 2025, Donald Trump Jr., the sitting president’s son, appeared onstage in Istanbul with Umar Kremlev, a Putin-linked Russian oligarch who runs the International Boxing Association. This was not a random encounter or… https://t.co/uqnnGqL0tS pic.twitter.com/WF41mXfxQD — Resolute Titan (@ResoluteTitan88) September 15, 2026
“The weekend that followed had actually been planned well in advance as a fun weekend with friends,” she said.
“It was never intended to be our wedding weekend. When our original wedding plans changed, we simply decided to get married before it and arrived at an already planned weekend as newlyweds. Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding. It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful.”
“We are fortunate to have wonderful friends from all over the world, and we will never be embarrassed or apologetic about being grateful for them,” she said, insisting there was “NO CONSPIRACY.”
Who is Umar Kremlev?
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Profile · Russia · United States
Umar Kremlev
The Russian boxing chief with Kremlin ties who, ProPublica reports, paid for much of Donald Trump Jr’s wedding celebrations in the Bahamas.
Where this comes from
The findings below are ProPublica’s, published on September 14 and based on financial records and three people familiar with the event. Indianexpress.com has not independently verified them. Trump Jr’s spokesperson did not dispute that the payments were made. The couple, Kremlev’s office and the IBA have all responded, and their responses appear here in full weight.
1
Who is he?
A sports administrator whose rise ran through the Russian state.
President of the International Boxing Association
He took the post in 2020, having led the Russian Boxing Federation from 2017. He also sits on that federation’s executive committee. He adopted the surname Kremlev in 2010.
Decorated by Putin this year
The IBA’s own website says Putin presented him with the Order of Friendship in late April 2026, for his contribution to international sport.
The body he runs has lost the Olympics
During his tenure the International Olympic Committee stripped the IBA of oversight of Olympic boxing, citing problems with corruption, doping and political influence.
2
The wedding connection
Hundreds of thousands of dollars, across the three-day event in May.
$100,000
A night, to rent the private island where guests slept
$70,000
The fireworks display on the first night
His team also helped plan it
Beyond the island and the fireworks, ProPublica reports that Kremlev covered other large costs and that his people worked on organising the event.
The money moved through Dubai
Payments came through IB Challenger, a Dubai entity the IBA uses for financial transactions, relocated there from Switzerland after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The ceremony and the party are not the same event
Eighteen people attended the ceremony itself. Around 50 attended the celebrations that followed, which began the day after and which Kremlev funded. The couple’s own statement turns on that distinction. President Trump did not attend.
3
His Russia links
Four threads, each independently reported.
The IBA
Financed by Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy company, after Kremlev brought that money to a body then near insolvency
Putin
Awarded him the Order of Friendship in April. ProPublica traces his rise to Alexei Rubezhnoi, who now heads Putin’s presidential security service
China
Shortly before the wedding he travelled to Beijing as part of Putin’s delegation, to discuss the future of boxing in China, according to Chinese state media
Ukraine
Under Ukrainian sanctions over his ties to Putin. A sports education body he is involved with has separately been sanctioned by Kyiv over allegations concerning the relocation of Ukrainian children
4
Kremlev and Trump Jr
A relationship that had not been reported before Monday.
A couple of years ago
They met
Trump Jr’s spokesperson says it was through a mutual friend in the hunting world, and that they bonded over boxing and the outdoors. Kremlev’s office gives the same timeframe.
Early 2025
The IBA asks the new administration for help
Shortly after the inauguration, the Kremlev-led IBA wrote an open letter to Trump seeking support in its fight with the International Olympic Committee.
2025
Trump Jr appears with Kremlev at an IBA event in Istanbul
May 2026
The Bahamas celebrations, which Kremlev attends and funds
Guests told ProPublica that the presence of Kremlev and several other Russian-speaking men was puzzling to some of those there.
5
What everyone says
Nobody disputes that the money was spent. They dispute what it means.
The couple
Bettina Trump said on Instagram that Kremlev generously hosted two nights of celebrations after their wedding, calling it an
“extraordinarily generous wedding gift”
from a friend. Trump Jr’s spokesperson said it was unfortunate that something personal was being recast as political.
Kremlev’s office
Confirms a friendly relationship dating back a couple of years. Trump Jr’s spokesperson describes him as a personal friend, and says there is no business relationship between them.
The IBA
Told ProPublica it incurred no wedding expenses itself, while declining to comment on the payments made by IB Challenger.
National security voices
Frank Montoya Jr, a retired FBI official who held senior counterintelligence roles, told ProPublica: “This should be unthinkable for the son of the president.” A former IBA board member described Kremlev’s use of sport as geopolitics.
What is established
That Kremlev paid for major parts of the post-wedding celebrations, that the money moved through an IBA-linked Dubai entity, and that he attended. Trump Jr’s side does not dispute the payments.
What is not
ProPublica states it could not determine why Kremlev covered so much of the cost. Nothing in the reporting shows the money bought political influence, and the couple say it was a gift between friends.
A developing story. All allegations are ProPublica’s reporting of September 14, 2026, and are attributed as such throughout. Responses from all named parties are carried above.
Sources: ProPublica; NBC News; Axios; Rolling Stone; The Moscow Times; The Washington Times.
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Kremlev, 43, is the president of the International Boxing Association, the international governing body for boxing that was stripped of recognition by the International Olympic Committee in 2023 over concerns including governance, finances and refereeing. The Guardian reported that Kremlev has built a powerful network in Russian political and business circles since rising through the country’s boxing establishment.
ProPublica reported this morning that Umar Kremlev, a Putin ally who runs an international boxing organization funded by the Kremlin’s energy giant, secretly covered hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs for Donald Trump Jr.’s three-day wedding in the Bahamas, including the… pic.twitter.com/BCdx2HMRQ8 — Really American 🇺🇸 (@ReallyAmerican1) September 14, 2026
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The IBA has also received financial backing from Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy giant. The Washington Post reported that Kremlev recently accompanied Putin to China and that Ukraine has imposed sanctions on him, describing him as close to the head of Putin’s security service. Putin awarded Kremlev the Order of Friendship in April, reported the Associated Press.
Kremlev’s links to the Kremlin go back years. According to ProPublica, he became involved with the Russian Boxing Federation and later took over its leadership before becoming head of the international boxing body. His rise coincided with increasing financial and political backing from powerful Russian interests.
How did he become connected to Trump Jr?
The relationship between Kremlev and Trump Jr had not previously been widely reported. ProPublica said the two men appear to have met only in recent years through a mutual friend in the hunting world and developed a friendship around their shared interest in boxing and outdoor activities.
From center right, Donald Trump Jr, his wife Bettina and son Donald Trump III wait for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and US embassy staff at Deerfield Residence in Dublin. (AP FILE)
A spokesperson for Trump Jr told ProPublica that Kremlev was a personal friend of Trump Jr and said the two had no business relationship. Kremlev’s press office similarly said the two had a friendly relationship and had first met “a couple of years ago”.
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Trump Jr had also appeared alongside Kremlev at an IBA event in Istanbul in September 2025. ProPublica reported that the event featured discussions about boxing and that Trump Jr shared the stage with Kremlev.
What did Kremlev pay for?
According to ProPublica, Kremlev paid for the rental of one of the private islands used during the three-day Bahamas celebrations and covered other major expenses, including fireworks. The payments reportedly came through a Dubai-based entity affiliated with the IBA.
The Washington Post reported that Kremlev hosted two nights of celebrations after the wedding ceremony, citing the couple’s own confirmation and ProPublica’s reporting on the financial contribution.
The couple has said that the actual wedding ceremony was a private family event and that the Bahamas weekend had already been planned as a gathering with friends. Bettina Trump said Kremlev’s contribution was a gift and denied any political motive.
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Why is the payment controversial?
The controversy centres on the fact that Kremlev is a wealthy Russian businessman with close links to Putin and that he provided a substantial personal benefit to the son of the US president.
The New York Times reported that ethics experts viewed the gift as raising concerns about potential foreign influence, even though there was no evidence that the payment was made in exchange for a political favour.
ProPublica likewise cited former US counterintelligence officials who questioned why Kremlev would spend such a large amount on someone who is the president’s son. The investigation, however, did not establish that Kremlev sought or received political influence in return for the gift.
President Donald Trump has said he did not know Kremlev. In a statement reported by CBS News, Trump said Kremlev did not pay for his son’s wedding but rather an “afterparty” held at a different location and on a different day.
(With inputs from agencies)
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