Ostentatious Oligarchs are Targets of Tech Savvy Teen Tracking Flights

The last time Jack Sweeney set his sights on the flights of an ostentatious billionaire Elon Musk was not amused.

The tech savvy 19 year-old was offered $5K to delete @ElonJet Twitter account and then angrily blocked by the thin skinned “inventor” for his counter offer of $50K after he told Musk the money would be “great support in college and would possibly allow me to get a car maybe even a Model 3.”

“The aircrafts these oligarchs have are absolutely crazy,” Sweeney told Bloomberg, saying that Russia’s wealthy travel in commercial-sized planes like the Airbus A319 and Boeing 737. “Their planes are huge compared to other jets.”

Among the names tracked by the University of Central Florida student at @RUOligarchJets are Vladimir Potanin, Russia’s wealthiest man, Chelsea soccer team owner Roman Abramovich, and steel magnate Alexander Abramov.

The president of Paragon Intel — which provides corporate aviation intelligence through its product JetTrack — Colby Howard, said Sweeney’s accounts are the “People Magazine version” of corporate aviation intelligence. “People are obsessed with wealth more than ever. It’s almost a form of paparazzi, that’s why this is popular.”

Alexander Abramov’s Jet D-ALXX Landed near Manama, Muharraq Governorate, BH. Apx. flt. time 48 Mins. pic.twitter.com/r0wRZ3CBrk

— Russian Oligarch Jets (@RUOligarchJets) March 1, 2022

But he says the info still maintains privacy: “One jet flying through Miami holding who knows who doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t tell you what information matters and what context do you need to make an decision,” Howard told Bloomberg.

Roman Abramovich’s Jet LX-RAY Took off near Moscow, Moscow Oblast, RU. pic.twitter.com/qWyWdYeGLr

— Russian Oligarch Jets (@RUOligarchJets) March 1, 2022

According to the New York Post, Sweeney’s new account has more than 53,000 followers in just a few days. He’s also tracking private jets of other A-list celebrities and billionaires, including Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

The United States and NATO allies have identified the ultra-rich oligarchs as the responsible for the criminal war Russian President Vladmir Putin started when he invaded Ukraine last week. With their assets frozen and global sanctions in place, Sweeney has put how they move in the world into focus.