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The Florida university student who shot to Internet fame after successfully tracking the private jets of billionaires – notably, Elon Musk – has switched his attention to Russian oligarchs.
Jack Sweeney, 19, earned a huge online following after creating the Twitter account @ElonJet, which tracked the movements of the SpaceX founder – much to his annoyance.
The teen even claims he turned down an offer of $US5000 ($A6783) by Musk to delete the account.
Now the University of Central Florida student has launched two new accounts, @RUOligarchJets and @PutinJet, dedicated to tracking the private planes of Russian oligarchs amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The accounts have garnered a combined 445,000-plus followers in just a few days.
Among the rich list targeted on the accounts is Russia’s richest man Vladimir Potanin, 61, and high-profile billionaire Roman Abramovich, 55, who on Thursday confirmed his decision to sell Chelsea Football Club and donate net proceeds from the sale to aid victims of the war in Ukraine.
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Photo: AP
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Abromovich’s appetite for private jets made the news in December, when the billionaire traded in his Boeing 767 for a larger 787 Dreamliner, estimated to have cost as much as $350 million.
According to Sweeney’s Twitter feed, Abromovich’s Dreamliner took off from Moscow on Friday before landing in Dubai about five hours later.
Roman Abramovich’s Jet P4-BDL Landed near Jebel Ali, Dubai Emirate, AE. Apx. flt. time 4 Hours : 50 Mins. pic.twitter.com/zo9pmOhG8O
The major plane manufacturers rarely reveal details of who purchases their private jets, or how they are fitted out, but Boeing released several concept designs for its private Dreamliner interiors in 2017 (take a look in the photo gallery at the top of the page).
Russian president Vladmir Putin has also been singled out with his own dedicated, jet-chasing Twitter handle (@PutinJet), tracking “Russian VIP jets and any Putin may use”, according to the account description.
Russian president Vladimir Putin on board his presidential plane on his way to Syria in 2017. Photo: AP
The accounts utilise a bot developed by Sweeney that sends real-time automated updates of the whereabouts of the jets, planes and helicopters of Russia’s richest, and shares them to Twitter.
The Florida man isn’t the only person to provide such intel, though the popularity of his accounts is testament to our fascination with the lives of the rich and famous.
Speaking to CBS, the 19-year-old said: “It would be pretty cool to see one of their planes seized”.
Roman Abramovich’s private Boeing 767, now for sale, parked at Stansted Airport, London, in 2015. Photo: Alamy
Sweeney told The Wall Street Journal he got the idea to start the accounts following news of sanctions aimed at Russian oligarchs – and spurred on by Twitter followers.
Following US President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address, which called out corrupt oligarchs and vowed to target their crimes with a dedicated task force, Sweeney tweeted his own warning.
“I stand with Ukraine and will support efforts to go after the Russian oligarchs, them, and their assets as Biden has just said at his SOTU address,” he wrote on March 2.
It’s anyone’s guess who the teen will be targeting next in the private jet space, though Kim Kardashian may want to watch her back, with the reality star reportedly purchasing a $207 million (US$150 million) private jet recently.
The Gulfstream G650ER was customised specially for the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star over the course of a year, according to TMZ sources.