Donald Trump Jr. went hunting in Mongolia with a Kremlin-linked Russian businessman who helped bankroll his wedding

Donald Trump Jr., the son of U.S. President Donald Trump, traveled to Mongolia in August 2026 to hunt, spending two days there with Umar Kremlev, head of the International Boxing Association and a businessman close to the Kremlin, according to the Financial Times and local officials.

Flight-tracking data, social media posts, and public records corroborated the account of Trump Jr.'s and Kremlev's stay in Mongolia. Kremlev, whose real surname is Lutfulloyev, has led the International Boxing Association (IBA) as its president since 2020, and under him, the organization has received tens of millions of dollars from Gazprom.

In 2024, Kremlev became the new owner of the car dealership Rolf, which had previously belonged to businessman Sergei Petrov and had been placed under temporary management by a decree from Putin. Kremlev is also tied to the Trump family, having paid part of the costs of Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding in the Bahamas in 2026.

A charity auction raffled off the trip to Mongolia in the company of the U.S. president's son, and one of the winners did join Trump Jr. to hunt mountain sheep. Kremlev, who did not take part in the auction, also joined the trip, along with longtime Republican Party donor Kevin Small.

Trump Jr. flew into the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, in late August, after his wedding on a private island in the Caribbean Sea, and then traveled several hundred kilometers to a camp in western Mongolia, where he stayed with a small group of hunting guides, drivers, and cooks. Kremlev joined him there, accompanied by Arthur Martirosov, a businessman and partner at the venture fund Voskhod, which is under U.S. sanctions.

On August 30, Kremlev posted two videos to his Telegram channel, showing footage from the trip and asking, 'How do you feel about hunting?' One participant in the trip said Trump Jr. and Kremlev tried not to be photographed together while at the camp. Trump Jr. does not appear in Kremlev's video either, though two organizers of his hunting trips do.

According to one guide, Trump Jr. killed an Altai argali — an endangered mountain sheep prized by hunters for its large horns — during the trip. After the hunt, he returned to the Mongolian capital, but his trip did not end there — he held a series of other unofficial meetings, including a dinner with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh.

As a member of the president's family, Trump Jr. traveled with a U.S. Secret Service detail. The U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar paid $18,715 for hotel rooms linked to an unspecified 'visit' by Secret Service agents from August 23–September 6.

A representative for Trump Jr. said a mutual friend from hunting circles introduced him to Umar Kremlev, and that their friendship is largely based on their shared love for hunting, fishing, and the outdoors. However, intelligence experts polled by the FT believe these relationships create favorable conditions for manipulation.

'It really doesn't matter if people have the most above board intentions,' said Holden Triplett, former director of counterintelligence at the U.S. National Security Council. 'The moment the Russian security and intelligence services figure out someone has a relationship with someone who has ties to the Kremlin, it can be used to their advantage.'