Putin-Linked Boxing Chief Seen Hunting With Trump Jr. in Mongolia

Umar Kremlev, a businessman with criminal convictions and close ties to the Kremlin, joined Donald Trump Jr. on a hunting trip to Mongolia after paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for festivities at the US president’s son’s wedding. Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association (IBA), hunted with Trump Jr. for two days during an August trip, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Tuesday, Oct. 27.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The US president’s son spent about a week in Mongolia and shot an Altai argali, a wild sheep species subject to conservation protections. The FT reconstructed Kremlev’s movements using accounts from hunting guides and Mongolian officials, flight data, social media posts, and public records. (Screenshot from the Financial Times report) On Aug. 27, Kremlev flew by charter jet from Kazakhstan, where the IBA had held a press conference, to Ulaanbaatar. He then traveled by helicopter to a hunting camp in western Mongolia where Trump Jr. was staying. Kremlev was accompanied by Artur Martirosov, a businessman and partner at the US-sanctioned venture capital fund Voskhod. Kremlev later flew via Ulaanbaatar to Yakutsk to attend an IBA fight event. The trip followed revelations in September that Kremlev had attended Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson’s wedding in the Bahamas in May. Other Topics of Interest Russia Says Three Tankers With Diesel En Route to US US President Donald Trump this month struck an agreement with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to ease sanctions in exchange for Moscow releasing diesel onto global markets. An investigation by ProPublica found that Kremlev had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars toward the celebrations, including the rental of a private island and fireworks. His team also helped organize the event. Anderson described Kremlev as a “dear friend” who had given the couple an “extraordinarily generous wedding gift,” arranging two celebratory evenings after the ceremony. Trump Jr. subsequently repaid Kremlev, according to the Washington Times. President Donald Trump said there was nothing illegal about paying for a friend’s party, adding that he had done the same himself. A spokesperson for Trump Jr. told the FT that the two men had a personal friendship rather than a business relationship and had been introduced by a mutual friend from hunting circles. “Their friendship is based on a shared love of hunting, fishing and outdoor activities,” the spokesperson said. Security experts warned that such personal ties could be exploited by Russian intelligence services. Holden Triplett, who served as director of counterintelligence at the US National Security Council during Trump’s first presidency, told the FT that Russian security and intelligence services could seek to exploit anyone with connections to an influential figure, regardless of that person’s intentions. Kremlev, whose real name is Umarali Lutfulloev, has longstanding ties to Putin’s circle. He was a member of the Night Wolves motorcycle club, which actively supports the Russian president and his policies. According to Russian investigative outlet Proekt, Kremlev used his connections through the club to build ties with Alexei Rubezhnoy, who later headed Russia’s Presidential Security Service. Rubezhnoy helped Kremlev become head of the Russian Boxing Federation in 2017. Kremlev has criminal convictions for extortion and assault, according to reporting cited by the FT. After taking over the IBA in 2020, Kremlev made Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom the association’s sole sponsor. In 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) withdrew recognition of the IBA, citing unresolved governance, financial and corruption concerns. The IOC also took control of boxing competitions at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Kremlev is also linked to major Russian betting companies Liga Stavok, Pari, and Fonbet. He controls Russia’s Unified Gambling Regulator, which records bookmaker bets across the country. In 2024, Russian authorities transferred control of Rolf, one of Russia’s largest car dealership groups, to Kremlev. The state had seized the company a year earlier from its founder, Sergei Petrov, who had moved to Austria and criticized Putin’s policies. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.