Up until Russia invaded Ukraine, I don't think very many people knew what an oligarch was but now they are in the news almost every week.

What exactly is an oligarchy?

An oligarch is someone who has major control over a government. In Russia, rich businessmen can have some major political influence. Russia has received many sanctions since the invasion began and these oligarchs had their assets seized early on during the conflict.

Did you know there are Twitter groups dedicated to tracking these powerful Russian influencers and leaders? They recently tracked a well-known billionaire flying into Newburgh from White Plains. His private jet was recently tracked yet again at two Hudson Valley airports. Are they really tracking an oligarch or are they rushing to judgement?

Leonard Blavatnik's plane was spotted here in the Hudson Valley just a few months ago on a similar course. What exactly is this guy up to here? Does he commute to the city from here? Does he live or have business here in the Hudson Valley? Why is a Ukrainian born man who is worth billions still traveling back and forth from White Plains to Newburgh? It might seem suspicious to this group but they may be feeding their own hysteria.

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Who is Len Blavatnik? 

According to Wikipedia, he was born in Soviet-occupied Ukraine though he is now a British citizen. He has owned or currently owns parts of Warner Music Group, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, DAZN and Access Industries. He is reportedly worth billions.

We are unsure why this group tracking him. According to one of Blavatnik's representatives he is not and has never been an oligarch for Russia or Ukraine. He is also an American citizen. He has also never been sanctioned by the United States or United Kingdrom.

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