The Teen Who Tracked Elon Musk's Jet Is Now Targeting Putin & His Rich Russian Allies
You can now follow their every flight on Twitter đź‘€
We see you, Russian oligarchs.
The teenager who famously angered Elon Musk by tracking his jet is up to it again, but this time he's keeping an eye on Russia's richest and most powerful citizens.
Twitter user Jack Sweeney, 19, is using publicly available info to follow dozens of jets that belongs to Russian oligarchs, in an apparent effort to troll the country that invaded Ukraine last week.
Sweeney told Bloomberg that many Russian oligarchs have “crazy” aircraft that show just how rich they are. “Their planes are huge compared to other jets,” he said.
He added that he started following the oligarchs after getting a bunch of requests to do so on Twitter.
His two new Twitter accounts, @PutinJet and @RUOligarchjets, have amassed more than 150,000 followers since they went live last week. Both accounts are run by bots, and they report every takeoff and landing involving oligarch-related jets.
Sweeney is using the same strategy to keep an eye on Vladimir Putin, the Russian president who ordered the invasion in the first place.
"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," Sweeney wrote on his personal Twitter account on Saturday.
Sweeney's oligarch account has been the biggest hit so far, with more than 140,000 followers to date. It follows several of Russia's richest and most connected billionaires, including Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich.
Russia's oligarchs are some of the most elite people in the country, according to NPR. They often make their money through huge government contracts and have close political ties to Vladimir Putin, which is why they sometimes face sanctions from countries that want to punish Russia.
NBC reports that several Russian oligarchs could face a new round of sanctions from the U.S., in retaliation for Putin's attack on Ukraine.
Sweeney's Twitter accounts show that the oligarchs have been busily flying around throughout the invasion, with flights to places like the U.A.E., the U.K. and various spots in Russia.
It's unclear if any oligarchs have noticed Sweeney's account yet, but we do know one thing: the kid drives a hard bargain.
Sweeney reportedly rejected a $5,000 offer from Musk to stop tracking his jet last month, and demanded $50,000 instead.
How much might he charge Russia's richest citizens to be left alone?