Jack Sweeney, the teenager who became famous for tracking billionaire Elon Musk's private jet, has made tracking Russian oligarchs' travel his new pasttime.
Sweeney's new Twitter account, called Russian Oligarch Jets, tracks the whereabouts of some of Russia's wealthiest, who've continued to travel in private jets and on yachts despite economic sanctions that have caused the Russian ruble to crater and sent the nation's economy into freefall since Russian President Vladimir Putin moved to invade Ukraine.
The automated feed posted its first tweet on February 26 and has since posted the travel details of a jet belonging to Roman Abramovich, the billionaire best known as the primary owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC and for being a prominent member of Putin's inner circle.
Roman Abramovich's Jet LX-LUX Landed near Riga, Riga (city), LV.pic.twitter.com/fvQ84TGK38— Russian Oligarch Jets (@Russian Oligarch Jets) 1645991232
The account could be a boon to international authorities, who have pledged to identify and seize assets held by Russian oligarchs targed by the sanctions imposed by the European Union.
Earlier today, French authorities announced they would work to find and seize any assets and have directed banks and insurance companies to audit millions of accounts "to identify Russians on the sanctions list, as well as members of their families and any holding companies they may have set up to hide their identities," per The New York Times.
The 19-year-old Sweeney cautioned that a separate flight tracker tracing Putin's movements might not be entirely accurate because it includes information on several VIP planes, on which Russia provides less data than other places.
So yeah @PutinJet is live now :), don't expect this to be too accurate though there are a dozen VIP Russian planes, and ADS-B coverage isn't great in Russia.— Jack Sweeney (@Jack Sweeney) 1645833959
But the accounts, which has garnered more than 158,000 followers since it launched, has nonetheless earned Sweeney praise from individuals who have yearned to see Putin and the Russian elite held accountable in the wake of an invasion that has sparked considerable international condemnation.
This is Geniushttps://twitter.com/ruoligarchjets/status/1497739735753658371\u00a0\u2026— Suprememouser (@Suprememouser) 1646154361
Woah. Teenagers made a whole Twitter account that tracks the movement of Russian Oligarchs\u2019 private jets. That\u2019s so badass. Teenagers freaking rock. @RUOligarchJetshttps://twitter.com/fabienmajor/status/1498492851734331394\u00a0\u2026— Nicole Jarvis (She/Her/They/Them) (@Nicole Jarvis (She/Her/They/Them)) 1646105713
This kid needs to be given the highest paying government job. He'd be a major asset!https://twitter.com/KTLA/status/1498685414353379328\u00a0\u2026— Kerry Droll (@Kerry Droll) 1646150133
From the smart & sassy teen who created an automated Twitter tracker for Elon's private plane, here's a new account that tracks the flights of Russian oligarchs' jets.https://twitter.com/RUOligarchJets/status/1497739735753658371\u00a0\u2026— Wagner James Au (@Wagner James Au) 1646130631
This young tech kid putting his tracking services to good use.https://twitter.com/RUOligarchJets/status/1497739735753658371\u00a0\u2026— CryptoMom (@CryptoMom) 1646138077
This kid is wild, can the FBI offer him a job already? https://twitter.com/ktla/status/1498685414353379328\u00a0\u2026— Diana (@Diana) 1646155608
These kids today. https://twitter.com/arstechnica/status/1498720266142294023\u00a0\u2026— Sheila (@Sheila) 1646157864
What a great idea!https://twitter.com/ruoligarchjets/status/1497739735753658371\u00a0\u2026— John J Higgins (@John J Higgins) 1646102344
Earlier this year, Sweeney toldThe New York Post that the Orlando-based private charter flight firm Stratos Jet Charters was so impressed by his efforts tracking Elon Musk that they offered him a job on its tech development team.
Musk offered Sweeney $5,000 to shut down the account altogether, an offer Sweeney rejected. Sweeney counteroffered, requesting $50,000 and an internship to delete the account, a request Musk indicated he would consider. However, Musk later blocked Sweeney’s personal Twitter account, angered by the public exposure.
