Teenager who was tracking Elon Musk has switched to Russian oligarchs' yachts and jets
A first-year college student who made headlines earlier this year for tracking Elon Musk has directed his attention to Russian oligarchs' jets and yachts amid the crisis in Ukraine.
Jack Sweeney, 19, tweeted on March 5 that he set up a Twitter account to track Russian yachts, although the data was not yet automated. The account has more than 13,000 followers, and his account tracking Russian oligarch jets has more than 400,000 followers.
"People want these people tracked down and have their assets tracked down and to take their yachts and jets," Sweeney told CBS News.
USA TODAY has reached out to Sweeney for comment.
He told CBS that people asked him on social media if he could use the same algorithm that tracked Musk's jet to monitor Russian oligarchs' private crafts after the invasion of Ukraine.
Oligarch is a term commonly used to describe very rich business leaders with large influences over politics in Russia.
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Sweeney has tracked jets owned by Roman Abramovich, Leonard Blavatnik and Alexei Mordashov – billionaires born in Russia or who have ties to the country.
Leonard Blavatnik's Jet N600EB Landed in London, England, GB. Apx. flt. time 13 Mins. pic.twitter.com/pTxCSlmGj0
— Russian Oligarch Jets (@RUOligarchJets) March 5, 2022
"They have huge planes – some of them are just continuing to fly, they aren't stopping," Sweeney told CBS News.
Last week, President Joe Biden announced in his State of the Union speech that Russian oligarchs were being targeted for bilking "billions of dollars off this violent regime."
"We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets,” Biden said. “We are coming for your ill-begotten gains."
The U.S. Justice Department announced a special task force the next day to go after the assets of billionaire oligarchs who support Russian President Vladimir Putin and profit from his reign.
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According to The Guardian, Mordashov's 215-foot yacht was seized by Italian police last week.
Sweeney, who is studying information technology at the University of Central Florida, told CBS News he isn't worried about any threats to his life because he lives in the U.S.
He plans to track more jets if the information becomes available and is still tracking Musk's plane although the Tesla CEO offered him $5,000 to stop.
Contributing: John Meyer
Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: agilbert@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Twitter account tracks Russian oligarch jets and yachts after Elon Musk