Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding was paid for by an oligarch from Putin's circle — investigation

Russian oligarch Umar Kremlyov, whom ProPublica calls close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses for the three-day wedding celebration of Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas. This is reported in a ProPublica investigation, published on September 14, 2026.

According to the journalists, Kremlyov paid to rent one of the private islands where the reception took place and where guests stayed, as well as the fireworks and other expensive elements of the celebration. The wedding lasted three days on two private islands, and renting one of them can cost around $100,000 per night. The company that organized the fireworks charges about $70,000 for similar shows.

ProPublica claims that the money flowed through a Dubai entity linked to the International Boxing Association (IBA). Kremlyov heads the IBA, which previously received funding from the Russian state energy giant “Gazprom.”

About 50 people were invited to the celebration. Among them were Donald Trump Jr.’s brother Eric Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as Kremlyov himself and a large group of Russian guests. A representative for Trump Jr. clarified that Kremlyov was not present at the actual marriage ceremony, which had only 18 guests, but participated in other events during the wedding weekend.

Among the Russian guests, journalists name Oleksandr Lahutin, who previously held senior positions at a Russian defense contractor and a state energy company. Also at the wedding was one of Kremlyov‘s closest associates in the IBA, Olena Sobol.

After the celebration, the Trump family released dozens of photos and videos. According to ProPublica‘s observations, Russian guests are almost absent from them: only in one group photo is Kremlyov partially visible. Trump Jr. emphasized after the wedding the privacy of the event and said that invitees were not supposed to talk about what happened. At the same time, the outlet does not provide evidence that guests were separately instructed to hide the presence of the Russians.

A representative for Donald Trump Jr. did not dispute Kremlyov’s payments, saying the Russian is a personal friend of the president’s son and that they do not have business relations.

“Umar is Don’s personal friend,” the spokesman said, adding that the men met through a mutual acquaintance and bonded over an interest in hunting, boxing, and outdoor activities.

Kremlyov’s press service also confirmed friendly relations with Trump Jr., but said the Russian businessman allegedly never discussed politics with his American acquaintances. The IBA denied that the association itself paid for the wedding, but did not comment on payments from the Dubai-linked entity.

ProPublica also notes that shortly before the wedding Kremlyov was in China at the same time as Putin, and a month earlier the Russian president had awarded him the Order of Friendship. Kremlyov is under sanctions in Ukraine. His representatives deny that during the trip to China he was part of Putin’s official delegation.

The White House, the Russian government, and Jared Kushner did not respond to ProPublica’s inquiries about the investigation. Journalists emphasize that it remains unknown why Kremlyov agreed to spend a significant sum on Trump Jr.’s wedding and whether any other motives were behind it.