Trump Jr Hunted Rare Wild Sheep With Putin-Linked Russian Businessman Who Funded His Wedding

Donald Trump Jr, the eldest son of US President Donald Trump, reportedly spent two days hunting in Mongolia with Russian businessman Umar Kremlev, who has close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s circle and helped finance celebrations surrounding Trump Jr’s wedding earlier this year.

According to a report by the Financial Times published on October 27, the two men met at a remote hunting camp in western Mongolia in August. The newspaper said it verified the encounter through interviews with local guides and officials, flight-tracking data, social media posts and public records. A guide told the newspaper that Trump Jr killed an endangered Altai argali sheep during the expedition.

Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association (IBA), reportedly travelled to Mongolia after attending an event in Kazakhstan. He flew to the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, on a chartered aircraft before travelling to Trump Jr’s camp, accompanied by Russian businessman Arthur Martirosov, a partner at the US-sanctioned venture capital fund Voskhod.

A participant told the Financial Times that Trump Jr and Kremlev appeared cautious about being photographed together. Kremlev posted videos of the expedition on Telegram, but Trump Jr did not appear in the footage.

A spokesperson for Trump Jr confirmed their friendship but denied any business relationship between the two men. The spokesperson said their friendship was largely based on their shared interests in hunting, fishing and outdoor activities. Kremlev did not respond to the newspaper’s requests for comment.

The reported encounter has drawn further attention because Kremlev helped pay for celebrations surrounding Trump Jr’s wedding in the Bahamas in May. An earlier investigation by ProPublica reported that the Russian businessman covered hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses, including the rental of a private island and a fireworks display. US President Donald Trump subsequently said his son had repaid Kremlev.

The latest report has renewed questions about the relationship between the president’s son and a businessman linked to Russia’s political and sporting establishment. Former US counterintelligence officials have warned that relationships involving prominent American figures and people connected to Russian power networks could create opportunities for intelligence exploitation. However, the reporting does not establish that Kremlev used his relationship with Trump Jr for such purposes.

Trump Jr’s hunting activities have also faced scrutiny in the past. In 2019, he killed an Altai argali during an earlier visit to Mongolia. An investigation by ProPublica found that Mongolian authorities issued him a hunting permit retrospectively, after the animal had been killed and he had left the region.

The latest expedition also involved a charity auction through which participants paid for the opportunity to join Trump Jr on a hunting trip. Separately, US embassy records cited by the Financial Times showed payments of $18,715 for hotel rooms associated with an unspecified Secret Service visit between August 23 and September 6.

After the hunt, Trump Jr continued travelling in Mongolia before returning to Ulaanbaatar, where he reportedly had an informal dinner with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh. Accounts differed over whether business or political matters were discussed. Trump Jr’s spokesperson described the meeting as unofficial and said the discussion largely concerned outdoor interests.