Melania Trump Scrambles to Sever Links to Russian Oligarch Accused of Bankrolling Don Jr. and Bettina Anderson's Lavish Bahamas Wedding
Melania Trump declared she has no link to Umar Kremlev.
Sept. 17 2026, Published 7:20 p.m. ET
Melania Trump is distancing herself from Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev after he was reported to have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars toward Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson’s lavish wedding celebrations in the Bahamas, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
A spokesperson for Melania said: "Mrs Trump does not, and has never had, a relationship with Mr Kremlev."
Melania Trump Shuts Down Link
Melania Trump's team shut down she has anything to do with Umar Kremlev.
"Mrs Trump played no role whatsoever in organizing the wedding event and was not privy to any aspect of its financial planning," they added.
Neither Melania nor President Trump attended the wedding, The Times reported.
ProPublica reported that Kremlev, a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin, paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in wedding-related expenses for Trump Jr.’s three-day celebration in the Bahamas.
What Did Umar Kremlev Pay For?
The Russian oligarch reportedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars towards Don Jr. and Anderson's wedding.
Kremlev reportedly paid to rent one of two private islands used for the wedding weekend, where a reception was held and guests stayed. He also paid for the fireworks display while members of his team helped plan the event.
The wedding payments came from IB Challenger, a Dubai-based entity affiliated with the International Boxing Association that the organization uses for financial transactions.
The guest list numbered about 50 people, including Jared Kushner, Eric Trump, and other members of the Trump family. Kremlev attended along with a group of other Russians, some of whom stood apart and spoke Russian.
Kremlev did not attend the actual wedding ceremony, which had only 18 guests, but attended the larger celebrations afterward. The ceremony took place on May 22, with festivities continuing over the following two days.
The Saturday celebration took place on the same island as the ceremony, while the reception was held on a neighboring private island about a 10-minute boat ride away and included the couple’s first dance and a five-tier wedding cake.
Kremlev paid approximately $100,000 to rent the Bahamian island used for the reception in addition to approximately $70,000 for the fireworks.
Don Jr. later described the gathering on his podcast as: "It was really small, like, just really close friends. Tried to keep it really tight. And it was just awesome."
After the investigation was published, the couple confirmed Kremlev’s financial involvement in a joint statement posted to Anderson's Instagram, calling him their "dear friend" and saying he “very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding."
Bettina Anderson Defends Russian Wedding Connection
Kremlev has ties to Vladimir Putin.
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They described the contribution as "an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful."
They said: “Friendship doesn’t require a political motive. Generosity doesn’t automatically come with an agenda. And sometimes a wedding gift is simply a wedding gift."
Kremlev has close ties to Putin and heads the International Boxing Association, which has received financial backing from Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy company.
Melania Trump did not attend the wedding.
Kremlev was in China shortly before the wedding as part of a delegation accompanying Putin, according to Chinese state media, and the month before the wedding, Putin awarded Kremlev the Order of Friendship. Ukraine has imposed sanctions on Kremlev, citing his relationship with Putin and Russian security services.
Kremlev’s press office said Kremlev and Don Jr. have a friendly relationship and that they first met a couple of years ago.
Don Jr.'s spokesperson said Kremlev is a personal friend, and that the two men met through a mutual friend in the hunting world.
