Russian oligarch Kremlev, member of Putin’s inner circle, secretly funded Trump’s son’s wedding in Bahamas, - media investigation
Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, a close associate of Russian dictator Putin, secretly paid for the wedding of Donald Trump Jr — the US President’s eldest son. The guest list also included a large group of Russians.
This is discussed in a ProPublica investigation, which reviewed the documents and spoke to people who attended the wedding, according to Censor.NET.
What is known about the wedding?
It is reported that Kremlev paid for the hire of one of the private islands, where the reception was held and where the guests spent the night. He also paid for the fireworks, and his team helped to organise the wedding.
The wedding payments came from an organisation in Dubai linked to the International Boxing Association (IBA), which is headed by Kremlev and has been involved in a number of scandals. The IBA itself is funded by the Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom.
Russians among the guests
Kremlev was also among the guests at Trump’s son’s wedding — according to ProPublica, he was standing with a large group of guests "whose presence surprised the other guests" and who were speaking Russian.
According to ProPublica, there were around 50 people on the guest list in total. Among them were Jared Kushner, Donald Trump Jr’s son-in-law, and Eric Trump.
- Chinese state media reported that, a few days before Trump Jr’s wedding, Kremlev was in China as part of the delegation accompanying Putin. Prior to this, Putin had awarded him a state honour — the ‘Order of Friendship’.
What are Trump Jr. and the Kremlin saying?
A spokesperson for Trump Jr did not deny that Kremlev had paid for the wedding expenses, explaining that he is a "personal friend" of the president’s son. They reportedly met through a mutual friend in the hunting community and became close through their shared love of outdoor activities and boxing — Kremlev heads the International Boxing Association, which is funded by the Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom.
- The Kremlin spokesperson also confirmed the "friendly relationship" between the Russian oligarch and Donald Trump Jr, who first met "several years ago". The two men were introduced by a mutual friend from the hunting world.
- They also stated that the oligarch "had never discussed political issues with any of his American friends or acquaintances".
Regarding the IBA’s cooperation with Gazprom, the Kremlin claimed that the sponsorship contract had "long since expired", but people close to the organisation suggested in conversations with journalists that money is still coming in from Russia.
The organisation believes it is unclear why a Russian oligarch helped pay for Trump Jr’s wedding. Information from open sources suggests that Trump Jr could well have paid for the wedding himself: Forbes recently estimated his fortune at around $300 million.
Trump Jr. married Bettina Anderson on a private island where the film *Pirates of the Caribbean* and the James Bond film *Casino Royale* were shot. The newlyweds performed their first dance on a second private island nearby. Renting it costs around $100,000 a night — these expenses were covered by the Kremlin. The company that organised the fireworks display charges approximately $70,000 for such shows.
