Igor Kurganov

Igor Kurganov is a Russian-born former professional poker player who gained influence over Elon Musk's charitable giving during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Wall Street Journal, he spent time sleeping in Musk's home during the pandemic, and an FBI agent made preliminary inquiries into him as part of the agent's job "to watch for foreign interference in US companies." Jared Birchall, Musk's wealth manager and the head of Musk's family office, confronted Musk and removed Kurganov from the inner circle in May 2022.¹

The Poker Career and the Musk Access

Kurganov built a public profile as a high-stakes professional poker player, accumulating over 18 million dollars in live tournament winnings across a career that placed him among the top German and Russian tournament players. His poker network overlaps with the high-roller gambling circuit whose principals move across national borders and whose venues (Macau, Las Vegas, Monte Carlo, the online high-stakes sites) are documented intelligence-collection environments.¹²

The documented path to Musk ran through Kurganov's effective-altruism and philanthropic-strategy work. Kurganov entered Musk's circle during the pandemic period and gained influence over Musk's charitable giving, which had become a substantial operation as Musk's wealth grew through the Tesla stock run-up and the SpaceX private valuations. The Journal reported that he spent time sleeping in Musk's home during the pandemic.¹

The FBI Preliminary Inquiry

The Wall Street Journal reported in July 2022, citing people familiar with the matter, that Musk's wealth manager, Jared Birchall, had learned that an FBI agent had been making preliminary inquiries into Kurganov as part of the agent's job "to watch for foreign interference in US companies." The Journal reported that Kurganov had not been accused of wrongdoing, and he did not comment.¹ The Guardian recounted that reporting in May 2025 and added that it was "not aware of Kurganov being named as a foreign agent, and he has no known connections to Russia, other than having been born there." His wife, the poker player Liv Boeree, said in a statement to the paper that his "only connection to Russia" was his birth there.¹

The Birchall Removal (May 2022)

The Journal reported that Birchall "cornered" Musk to discuss his concerns about Kurganov, whom he reportedly saw as a "newcomer who suddenly had immense influence on what to do with Musk's money," that Kurganov had spent time sleeping in Musk's home during the pandemic, and that Musk had told Birchall he was considering leaving Kurganov in charge of his charitable giving. In May 2022 Birchall asked Musk to remove Kurganov from his post at Musk's private foundation, and Musk agreed.¹

Buma's Account

The former FBI counterintelligence agent Jonathan Buma, arrested in March 2025 and charged with disclosing the identity of a confidential FBI source, told The Guardian in May 2025 that Russian efforts to target Musk were "intense," and said he had tried to convey his concerns through another agent described as an FBI liaison to SpaceX, who he said was not responsive. The Guardian's article placed the earlier Journal reporting on Kurganov alongside Buma's claims. The FBI's national press office did not respond, and its Los Angeles field office declined to comment. The Kyiv Post, reporting Buma's interview with the German broadcaster ZDF, described the operation he alleged as GRU-run and Putin-approved, exploiting vulnerabilities including drug use, sexual entrapment and luxury access.¹³

Buma also told the Guardian that he had briefed Thiel, whom Business Insider and the Atlantic had earlier reported was an FBI source from 2021 with Buma as his handler, on "what a targeting looks like," and that Thiel "essentially confirmed and provided helpful information to help us identify the nodes through which these outreaches have occurred." Thiel did not respond to the paper's request for comment.¹⁴

The Wall Street Journal reported on October 25, 2024 that Musk had been in regular contact with Putin since late 2022, after Starlink became operationally significant in the Russia-Ukraine war.¹⁴