Latvia has imposed sanctions on a Russian oligarch who paid for Trump's son's wedding
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže has added Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin and International Boxing Association President Umar Kremlev to the country’s list of undesirable persons. Both have been banned from entering Latvia for an indefinite period. The decision regarding Kremlev was made amid a scandal surrounding his financing of part of the wedding celebrations for U.S. President Donald Trump’s son.
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže decided to add two Russian citizens to the persona non grata list — renowned hockey player Alexander Ovechkin and Umar Kremlev, who heads the International Boxing Association (IBA). Both men have been barred from entering Latvia indefinitely. The minister can make such a decision in accordance with Latvian immigration law.
Braže explained that the decision was made based on a provision of the law that allows the Minister of Foreign Affairs to declare a foreign national a persona non grata in Latvia. It is on this basis that the country has repeatedly barred Russian citizens from entering.
Why Ovechkin Was Added to the List
This is not the first time Alexander Ovechkin has found himself in the spotlight due to his public support for the Russian government. According to LSM, the reason this time was his participation in a political advertisement supporting Vladimir Putin’s regime ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Russia. Ovechkin is one of the most famous Russian athletes in the world. He has played for the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League for many years and is considered one of the biggest stars of Russian hockey.
At the same time, his attitude toward Putin has long drawn criticism. Ovechkin once founded the PutinTeam movement, which openly supported the Russian president. Against the backdrop of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, his position has also repeatedly become the subject of public debate.
What Is Known About Kremlev
The second individual named in Latvia’s decision is Umar Kremlev. He has headed the International Boxing Association since 2020 and has close ties to Russian government and sports organizations. Recently, his name has become particularly well-known outside the world of boxing due to the story surrounding Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding. A ProPublica investigation found that Kremlev covered part of the costs for the three-day wedding celebration of Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas. The amount involved was hundreds of thousands of dollars.
According to investigators, the money went, in particular, toward renting a private island where guests stayed and celebratory events took place, as well as toward fireworks and event planning. Some of the payments were made through a company registered in Dubai and linked to IBA. According to ProPublica, renting the island cost about $100,000 per night, and the fireworks display cost about $70,000. The exact total amount spent by the Kremlin has not been disclosed.
What the Trump family said
Donald Trump Jr. and his wife did not deny Kremlev’s involvement in financing the celebration. Bettina Trump called the Russian businessman their “dear friend” and stated that he had given them a very generous wedding gift. At the same time, the couple emphasized that this did not directly involve payment for the wedding ceremony itself. According to their account, they were officially married in a private family ceremony, and only afterward did they travel to the Bahamas for the pre-planned celebrations. It was these two evenings, according to Bettina Trump, that Kremlev organized as a gift.
“It was an incredibly generous wedding gift from a friend,” Bettina Trump wrote on social media. She also stated that a person’s generosity does not necessarily imply a political motive. A representative for Trump Jr. also referred to Kremlev as his personal friend. According to him, the men are brought together by their shared interest in boxing and outdoor recreation.
Why the story drew attention
The story caused a stir because of Kremlev’s ties to the Russian government. He heads the IBA, which has received funding from the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom, and Kremlev himself has had public interactions with Vladimir Putin. In April 2026, the Russian president awarded him the Order of Friendship. After the investigation was published, calls began in the U.S. for additional scrutiny of this story. In particular, representatives of the Democratic Party called for an investigation into what exactly was behind the substantial financial assistance from the Russian businessman.
Kremlev himself did not confirm all the details cited in the investigation. The IBA press service stated that the association itself did not cover the wedding expenses but declined to comment on payments from an affiliated company in Dubai. Kremlev, along with Ovechkin, has now been placed on Latvia’s list of undesirable persons. The ban will remain in effect indefinitely, according to the Latvian publication LSM.
On September 17, Latvia’s Central Statistical Bureau published an updated list of companies registered in the country that export goods to Russia—an aggressor state—or to Belarus, or import goods from those countries.
