A Russian businessman who funded the afterparty of Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding has established ties with the Kremlin, including heading an international boxing federation that has sought to counter Russia's global isolation. Umar Kremlev paid for the festivities, a fact confirmed by Donald Trump Jr. after ProPublica initially reported on the significant expenditure.
Kremlev is the president of the International Boxing Association (IBA), a position he attained after a rise through Russia's boxing hierarchy, reportedly facilitated by connections to Kremlin security figures. He is widely viewed as an instrument of Russian soft power through the sporting organization.
In 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin personally awarded Kremlev the Order of Friendship, a state honor, for his contributions to promoting Russian boxing amid an Olympic ban. Russian investigative media have linked Kremlev's ascent to his close relationship with Alexey Rubezhnoy, the head of Putin’s presidential security.
Kremlev also maintains strong ties to "Healthy Fatherland," a pro-Putin organization that Ukraine has sanctioned for its alleged involvement in the mass abduction of Ukrainian children from occupied territories. Ukraine has also personally sanctioned Kremlev for his public support of the war.
Born in 1982, Kremlev was reportedly an aspiring boxer. According to the investigative outlet Proekt, he incurred criminal convictions for extortion and battery in the early 2000s. Following these convictions, he changed his surname from Lutfulloyev to Kremlev.
During that period, Kremlev became involved with the ultra-nationalist pro-Putin biker group, the Night Wolves, which the United States has sanctioned for its role in Russia’s annexation of Crimea. It was through this group that Kremlev reportedly met Rubezhnoy.
In the mid-2000s, Kremlev briefly worked as a boxing promoter, representing retired American fighter Roy Jones Jr. Jones later received Russian citizenship after visiting occupied Crimea and meeting Putin.
Kremlev's career in Russian boxing advanced when he was appointed secretary general of Russia’s national boxing federation in 2017. This organization has become closely linked to influential Kremlin figures, including Rubezhnoy and Igor Sechin, CEO of Rosneft.
In 2020, Kremlev was elected president of the International Boxing Association (formerly AIBA). Critics have interpreted his election as a Kremlin takeover of the sport's governing body.
Under Kremlev's leadership, the IBA has faced significant controversy. In 2023, the International Olympic Committee expelled the association, citing ongoing failures to address corruption and Russian influence following the invasion of Ukraine. Kremlev refused to adhere to the IOC's ban on Russian athletes competing under their national flag. The IBA's main sponsor became Russia's state gas company, Gazprom, and Kremlev relocated much of the association's operations to Russia.
In response, many national boxing federations, including the United States', severed ties with the IBA and established a rival international body. Kremlev has continued to organize competitions with countries that recognize his association and has been critical of the IOC.
Kremlev was also involved in a controversy at the 2024 Paris Olympics concerning Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, where the IBA questioned Khelif's eligibility as a woman.
Meanwhile, Kremlev's business interests in Russia have expanded. In 2024, he acquired Rolf, Russia's largest car dealership group, after it was nationalized and seized from a businessman critical of Putin. Proekt also reports that Kremlev now owns three of Russia's largest betting companies.
It is unclear how Donald Trump Jr. and Kremlev initially met. The two appeared together on a panel at an IBA forum in Istanbul in September 2025, where Trump Jr. praised Kremlev for his efforts to combat corruption in the sport.
In July, Kremlev organized a bare-knuckle boxing event in Miami that was scheduled to be hosted by Andrew Tate, who was arrested on charges of alleged rape and sex trafficking by UK police.
Following the ProPublica report, Donald Trump Jr.'s wife, Bettina Anderson, stated on Instagram that it was unfortunate for personal, happy events to be politicized or viewed as sinister based on someone's identity or origin.
Kremlev addressed the situation indirectly on his Telegram channel, posting a video stating, "What we should accumulate is not money, but emotions. Money loses its value over time…, but all the moments we have experienced with open hearts stay with us forever."