Russian oligarch pays for Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding celebrations
- Status
- Reported; acknowledged by Trump Jr.
- Type
- Gift from a foreign national · May 1, 2026
- Counterparty
- Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association, paying through IB Challenger, an IBA-affiliated entity in Dubai
- Amount
- Hundreds of thousands of dollars (ProPublica); exact total not disclosed
- People
- Donald Trump Jr.
WHO PAID, WHO GOT WHAT
ProPublica reported, citing records and three people familiar with the event, that Kremlev paid for part of Donald Trump Jr.’s May 2026 wedding weekend in the Bahamas, including rental of one of the two private islands, where the reception was held, and a fireworks show, and that his team helped plan the event. Trump Jr. and his wife confirmed that Kremlev hosted two nights of celebrations after the ceremony and described it as a wedding gift. ProPublica reported that Putin awarded Kremlev the Order of Friendship the month before the wedding, that Ukraine has sanctioned him over his closeness to Putin, and that the IBA has been financed by Russia’s state-owned Gazprom. Kremlev does not appear on public U.S. sanction lists, ProPublica said.
WHAT THE RECORD SHOWS
ProPublica reported that the reception island can rent for around $100,000 a night and that the fireworks company charges around $70,000 for such a show. Kremlev did not attend the ceremony, held on the first day of the three-day event, which had 18 guests, according to Trump Jr.’s spokesperson; ProPublica dated the last night of the celebrations to May 24.
Trump Jr. shared a stage with Kremlev at an IBA panel in Istanbul in September 2025; his spokesperson told ProPublica he was not paid for the appearance. In January 2025 Kremlev sent an open letter asking President Trump to look into the International Olympic Committee’s actions against the IBA.
Reported September 14, 2026. Month-precision date (first of the month). The Ledger has not seen the payment records ProPublica reviewed.
RESPONSE
A spokesperson for Trump Jr. did not dispute the payments, described Kremlev as a personal friend met through a mutual friend in the hunting world, and said the two have no business relationship. Trump Jr. and Bettina Trump said in an Instagram statement that the celebrations were a generous wedding gift from a friend and objected to the event being recast as political. Kremlev’s press office said the two have a friendly relationship, that he has never discussed political matters with Trump Jr., that the IBA itself did not incur wedding expenses and that its Gazprom sponsorship expired long ago. The White House did not respond to ProPublica.
SOURCES
A connection recorded here is not proof that it bought the outcome. Where a response exists, it is part of the record. How entries are labeled · Submit a correction or response · Download the ledger
