Umar Kremlev, the Russian businessman who heads the International Boxing Association (IBA), was named by the Financial Times on Oct. 27, 2026 as the man who spent two days at Donald Trump Jr’s hunting camp in Mongolia in August. Six weeks earlier, ProPublica reported he had covered some of the costs of the celebrations around Trump Jr’s May wedding.
Where it stands: Kremlev gave the FT no answer when it sought his comment on the Mongolia story. His press office told ProPublica in September that he and Trump Jr have “a friendly relationship” and that he has “never discussed political matters with any of his American friends and acquaintances.”
Trump Jr’s spokesperson told the FT that the two share “a personal friendship, not a business relationship,” and were introduced by a hunting acquaintance. Each claim below is credited to the outlet that reported it, alongside any denial.
How did Umar Kremlev rise to power in boxing?
Kremlev built his career as a boxing promoter in Russia, took over the Russian Boxing Federation in 2017 and won the presidency of the global amateur body in 2020. Both the FT and ProPublica tie that rise to connections inside Russia’s security establishment.
Both outlets say he was born Umar Lutfulloyev and took the surname Kremlev in 2010. The FT notes the new name translates as “of the Kremlin,” and describes a promoter who moved among biker gangs, police and eventually senior security figures.
ProPublica, citing the Russian independent outlet Proekt, went further. It said Kremlev grew close to Alexei Rubezhnoi, now head of Putin’s presidential security service, and that Rubezhnoi “personally intervened to put him at the helm” of the national federation in 2017. ProPublica also reported, “according to news reports,” that he joined and later helped lead the Night Wolves, a biker group backed by the Russian government.
In the December 2020 vote for what was then called AIBA, Kremlev won in the fourth round with 86 votes and a “57.33% vote share,” according to the federation’s own summary.
What happened to the IBA under Kremlev?
The IBA lost its place in the Olympic movement on his watch. The IOC Session voted in June 2023 to strip the association of its recognition, citing the Olympic Charter.
ProPublica reported that the IOC cited governance failures and the group’s refusal to “transparently explain the sources of its financing.” The IBA answered that the decision was “catastrophic for global boxing.” ProPublica reported that Kremlev has since railed against the IOC and once said his IBA predecessor “must be shot.” After Trump’s second inauguration, he wrote to the president hoping they could “make the Olympic movement great again,” ProPublica said. Our separate report covers the IBA’s Olympic fight.
Money was central. ProPublica said Gazprom, Russia’s state gas giant, filled the IBA’s accounts with “tens of millions of dollars.” The Kyiv Independent reported that Gazprom signed on as general partner in 2021 and that the deal ran out at the end of 2022. Kremlev’s press office says the contract “expired long ago.”
What are Umar Kremlev’s reported ties to Putin?
The ties are described by journalists and, in its sanctions decision, by Ukraine’s government; no US court or agency has made a finding about them. The FT says Kremlev has close links to the security service that guards Putin. Other outlets point to official honors and travel.
- A state award. NBC reported that, according to the IBA’s website, Putin gave Kremlev the Order of Friendship in late April 2026.
- The China trip. Chinese state media placed Kremlev in the delegation traveling with Putin in May, ProPublica reported. His press office says he was not part of Putin’s “official delegation.”
- An insider’s view. A former IBA board member, unnamed, told ProPublica, “Umar is guided by Putin.” That is one person’s opinion.
- Business. Citing Proekt, ProPublica reported the Russian state helped make him a major force in sports betting and that one of his companies runs the national lottery.
ProPublica’s reporters have also said they have “no specific evidence that Kremlev is operating on behalf of, like, the Russian security services.”
What do the FT and ProPublica say about his criminal record?
Two outlets report a conviction, and Kremlev denies having any record. The FT reports a conviction for extortion and battery “in his young adult years, according to leaked criminal records obtained by the FT.” ProPublica, crediting Proekt, said he had that record by his late 20s.
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His press office told ProPublica: “Mr. Kremlev has a completely clean legal record.” The table sets out each reported claim beside his side’s answer.
| Reported claim | Who reports it | Kremlev’s side |
|---|---|---|
| Extortion and battery conviction in early adulthood | FT (leaked records); ProPublica (citing Proekt) | “Completely clean legal record” |
| Close to Putin’s personal security service | FT; ProPublica (citing Proekt) | No response on record |
| Part of Putin’s China delegation, May 2026 | ProPublica (citing Chinese state media) | Not in the “official delegation” |
| Gazprom money for the IBA | ProPublica; Kyiv Independent | Contract “expired long ago” |
| Night Wolves leadership role | ProPublica (citing news reports) | No response on record |
Is Umar Kremlev under sanctions?
Ukraine has sanctioned him; the United States has not. ProPublica reported that Ukraine’s government imposed sanctions on Kremlev personally, while his name is absent from US lists: he “does not appear on public U.S. sanction lists.” No UK or EU designation of him had been reported as of Oct. 28.
The US sanctions in the Mongolia story concern someone else. The FT said Kremlev flew to the camp with Arthur Martirosov, whom it described as a partner in Voskhod, “a US-sanctioned venture capital fund.” The State Department’s 2023 action designated Voskhod Management Company, which it said runs a fund set up by the sanctioned Russian conglomerate Interros. Martirosov was not named in it. Details are in our Voskhod sanctions explainer.
What has Kremlev said about Trump Jr?
Kremlev has framed the relationship as friendship between sports fans. At an IBA press conference in Istanbul on Oct. 6, he told reporters, “We are simply friends and what unites us is love for sports,” the Associated Press reported. He also said Trump Jr had repaid him for the wedding costs, a claim no public record has yet confirmed.
How his friendship with Trump Jr developed, encounter by encounter, is laid out in our dated timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Umar Kremlev?
Umar Kremlev is a Russian businessman who has been president of the International Boxing Association since December 2020. He became widely known in US political news after ProPublica reported in September 2026 that he paid for part of Donald Trump Jr’s wedding celebrations.
Does Umar Kremlev have a criminal record?
The FT, citing leaked criminal records it obtained, reported an early-adulthood conviction for extortion and battery, and ProPublica reported a matching record, citing the Russian outlet Proekt. His press office says he has a completely clean legal record.
Is Umar Kremlev sanctioned?
Ukraine has sanctioned him. He is absent from public US sanction lists, ProPublica reported, and no UK or EU designation of him had been reported as of Oct. 28, 2026.
What was Kremlev’s original name?
The FT and ProPublica report that he was born Umar Lutfulloyev and changed his surname to Kremlev in 2010. The FT says the new name means of the Kremlin.
How does Kremlev know Donald Trump Jr?
Trump Jr’s spokesperson says a mutual friend in the hunting world introduced them and calls it a personal friendship, not a business relationship. The FT says their first known encounter was an IBA event in Istanbul in 2025.
Sources
- Inside Donald Trump Jr’s Mongolian hunting trip with a Kremlin-linked businessman — Financial Times, October 27, 2026
- Donald Trump Jr.’s Bahamas Wedding Was Secretly Bankrolled by Russian Oligarch Close to Putin — ProPublica, September 14, 2026
- The Russian Benefactor Who Funded Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding — ProPublica (Paper Trail podcast), September 2026
- AIBA Congress 2020 Summary: the new President and Constitution — International Boxing Association, December 2020
- Trump says son reimbursed Russian oligarch who funded wedding celebrations — Kyiv Independent, September 18, 2026
- Donald Trump Jr. acknowledges Russian oligarch with ties to Putin hosted his lavish island wedding celebration — NBC News (via NBC Bay Area), September 14, 2026
- Russian oligarch says Donald Trump Jr. has paid him back for wedding celebration expenses — Associated Press (via Action News Jax), October 6, 2026
- IOC Session withdraws International Boxing Association recognition — Sport Resolutions (reproducing the IOC announcement), June 22, 2023
- United States Imposes Additional Sanctions and Export Controls on Russia — U.S. Department of State, May 19, 2023
This article is news reporting and analysis based on the public sources listed above, as they stood on the dates shown. Where officials, lawmakers or analysts disagree, including on whether an action is lawful, their positions are attributed to them; Donald Trump Class Action is not a court and nothing here is legal advice. Facts in a developing story can change.