Donald Trump Jr. hunted in Mongolia with a Kremlin-linked Russian businessman

Donald Trump Jr., the 48-year-old son of U.S. President Donald Trump, travelled to Mongolia in August 2026 to hunt and spent two days there with Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association (IBA) and a Russian businessman close to the Kremlin, according to the Financial Times. The report matters because Kremlev was already linked to the Trump family: in September it emerged that he had covered part of Trump Jr.'s wedding costs.

Who Kremlev is

Umar Kremlev, whose real surname is Lutfulloyev, has led the IBA since 2020. During that time the organization has received tens of millions of dollars from Gazprom. In 2023 the International Olympic Committee stripped the IBA of the right to run Olympic boxing tournaments, citing among other things a lack of financial transparency.

In 2024 Kremlev became the owner of the Rolf car dealership group, which had belonged to businessman Sergei Petrov and had been put under temporary management by a Putin decree. The Russian investigative outlet Proekt reported that Kremlev obtained Rolf thanks to his friendship with Alexey Rubezhny, head of the Russian president's security service.

The trip

The Mongolia trip was raffled at a charity auction as a chance to hunt with the president's son. One winner joined Trump Jr. to hunt mountain sheep. Kremlev, who did not take part in the auction, also came, along with longtime Republican Party donor Kevin Small. Kremlev was accompanied by Arthur Martirosov, a businessman and partner at the U.S.-sanctioned venture fund Voskhod.

Trump Jr. flew into the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, in late August, after his wedding on a private Caribbean island. He then travelled several hundred kilometres to a camp in western Mongolia. One participant said he and Kremlev tried to avoid being photographed together. According to one guide, Trump Jr. killed an Altai argali, an endangered mountain sheep.

Back in Ulaanbaatar he held several unofficial meetings, including a dinner with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh. The U.S. Embassy paid $18,715 for hotel rooms tied to a Secret Service "visit".

A representative for Trump Jr. said a mutual friend introduced the two men and described the relationship as a personal friendship, not a business one. Intelligence experts polled by the FT argue such ties create conditions for manipulation.